


Make It Official

by agentofvalue



Category: Stargate - All Media Types, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Drama, F/M, Pregnancy, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 35,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25720570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agentofvalue/pseuds/agentofvalue
Summary: Jack O’Neill left his post as commander of the Stargate Command for a reason and that reason was Samantha Carter. Together at long last, but keeping it quiet for the sake of both their careers, they've found their version of happiness. They will have to figure out what they really want when Sam makes an unplanned announcement.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Comments: 50
Kudos: 157





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an incredibly self-indulgent fic. Between finishing my SG-1 rewatch, finishing grad school, and being stuck in quarantine (wear your freaking masks), I just wanted to do something for me. A friend wanted to read it so I'm posting it. More parts to come, but who knows when. It takes place somewhere around the start of season 9. A character that I don't want to be dead, won't be. Sam's hair is longer. This is how I want a happily ever after to be.

Sam filled a kettle with water in an attempt to give herself something to do. Tea was supposed to calm nerves, right? It had never really worked for her before, but Jack should be pulling up any minute and she had to do something other than pace. He had called from the car when he left the base and, given it was well after any kind of rush hour traffic, she knew exactly how long it should take him to get home. It had been so hard to leave earlier, knowing that he couldn’t follow her right away. Especially with what she had to tell him. 

Jack had left the SGC for her, for them, but he hadn’t quite retired yet. There was still so much to do in D.C. and she had her own career to think about. They weren’t in the same state as much as they would have liked, but they were a couple. Just no one knew yet. Not even the rest of SG-1. They could probably figure it all out if they put their minds to it, but no one had yet. 

Maybe they were about to.

The secret was getting harder to keep. Not that they weren’t good at keeping secrets, but she just was finding less and less enjoyment in sneaking around. It had been a game in the beginning. But today there had been other people around when she first spotted him for the first time in close to a month, so running to him for a kiss was out of the question. Even though she had something important to tell him. 

And the fact that she hadn’t had the chance to tell him with his travel schedule also grated on her. He hit the ground running when he landed. She doubted he had been alone either, and the conversation they needed to have required privacy. 

She slammed the kettle onto the stove a little rougher then she meant to. The face she made in response would have been an apology if the stove could have cared. She turned the knob, and the gas clicked on. 

Headlights came into view on the road outside. It could just be someone passing by since she couldn’t make out much about the car in the darkness. She pulled at the end of her braid, willing the car to slow and turn towards the driveway. It did, and though objectively she knew it had nothing to do with her hoping, she still thanked the powers that be. 

He was home. 

Jack’s mail still went to his cabin, but he lived with her when he was in Colorado. She loved that he had his own keys so he could come and go as he pleased. That half of the closet was his. That there was a razor in the medicine cabinet. That she had started to clear out space for him in the office so it didn’t feel like he was just keeping things in her closet. It was his home now, and he was returning to it after a long absence. 

There was another impatient pause as he parked, gathered his things, and made his way to the back door. She saw his silhouette and then he was coming through the door, a bag slung over one shoulder and the jacket of his dress uniform over the other. 

“Hey, there,” he said with a broad grin. 

She didn’t answer, just move towards him. He barely had time to let his things go and open his arms to her before the collision. She wrapped around him and he squeezed her tightly. She had been wanting to that all day. 

“It was really unfair, seeing you at the SGC and not being able to do this,” he said. 

“Do what?” she asked, fairly certain what the answer would be. 

He let go of her just so he could pull her in again for a kiss. Sam closed her eyes and let herself relax into him. Together. At last. After all these years. She had chided herself so many times for holding out hope for these kinds of moments, but it turned out they were worth the wait. 

“Welcome back,” she said when they let each other go. 

“Good to be back,” he said in response. 

She moved aside so he could actually get more than a step or two inside the house. He scooped his things off the floor. The jacket he hung on the back of a kitchen chair and the bag he sort of chucked toward the stairs. Both would make their way upstairs, eventually. 

“Are you hungry?” she asked, moving around the island to put a little distance between them. “There're leftovers.” 

She had something to say, and she didn’t want to get distracted the way they usually did after a homecoming. There was more than one reason she had been waiting for him to get home. Longing was only one of them. 

“Landry treated me to dinner in the mess,” he said. 

He wrinkled his nose a little, and she doubted that had much to do with the food. She would bet he would’ve preferred having dinner with her. This was the worst part about keeping their relationship a secret. Neither had a good way of excusing themselves to get alone together. It often meant not greeting each other the way they wanted to, or seeing each other and pretending they hadn’t woken up together, or not being able to get home as quickly as they wanted. 

What excuse could Jack give for turning down dinner with Landry when Landry thought Jack was only going home to an empty cabin? ‘I’m tired’ only worked so many times.

Sam cast around for what to say next. She had been waiting for this moment but now it was here she was chickening out. 

“How was the rest of the day?” she said. 

“It was, you know, work.” He brightened. “I negotiated two days off though.” 

“Oh, good. Me too. Well, it was on the schedule.”

“I know it was.” He was grinning again. 

“Does this mean we actually get a weekend together?” 

“I think it does.” 

“Then, I think you should get out that uniform.” 

He had already been pulling at his tie, but he stopped to raise an eyebrow at her. “Is that an invitation?” 

Her entire body tensed for a second when she realized that was exactly what it sounded like. There was still a small embarrassed thrill that she could say things like that and mean it. But she had to focus. 

“Not yet,” she said, maybe a little more firmly than she intended. 

Jack cocked his head. “Am I missing something here?”

“No, well, yes, actually. I have some news.” 

“Good news or bad news?” 

“Good news, I think, but it’s going to cause some, um, problems. Go get changed. I’ll tell you in a second.” 

He blinked at her for a moment and turned towards the stairs. For the number of years he had been her commanding officer, he was more than willing to follow her orders. He grabbed his bag again and disappeared. 

The kettle started to whistle, so at least she had something to do while she waited again. She got a mug and a teabag from a cabinet and put in a little sugar from a pot on the counter before adding the water. She started to reach for the fridge to get some milk, but the thought turned her stomach so she just carried it to the kitchen table. She sat in one of the kitchen chairs for more waiting. 

It didn’t take long for Jack to return in a t-shirt with an Air Force emblem on the front and a pair of sweatpants. His hair stuck up from yanking the shirt over his head. 

“Well?” he asked with concern in his voice. 

She pointed to the chair adjacent to her, and he obediently took it. 

To buy a few more seconds to find her words, she dunked the teabag a few times. She didn’t know if it would be good news for him. With his past and they had only ever discussed their future in an abstract sort of way. Together seemed a given but the rest of the pieces were hazy. 

“Sam?” he prompted. 

She took a deep breath and said it. “I’m pregnant.”

They both preferred directness, but she might have been a little too on the nose. He was staring at her with his mouth open a little. His eyes found hers and locked on. 

“You’re what?” he said. 

“Having a baby. According to about four drug store tests.” 

“But how? I thought you took—”

She interrupted him. “You want to get into the mechanics of it now?” There was a slight catch in her voice she hadn’t expected. He didn’t seem happy. 

“God, no. I’m just, um, surprised.” 

“Good news or bad news?” Her voice almost trembled. 

Maybe she could blame it on hormones, but she felt close to tears. It definitely hadn’t been planned, but she wanted to be a mother and she was realizing she wanted to be a mother to Jack’s child. He had already been a father and had lost it all. What if he couldn’t do it again? What if he didn’t want to? What would that mean for them? 

Still, she kept her back straight, kept her gaze focused on his. The only tell was that sound in her voice. It was so small, but he would notice. 

Suddenly, he was raising to his feet and pulling her with him. He gathered her up in arms, holding her as tightly as he had when he came home. She was always been a little taller than average, rarely ever feeling small, but he had just enough height on her he made her feel wrapped up and safe. 

“Very good news, babe. The best news,” he said gently. 

“Yeah?” she said, her voice muffled against him. 

“Yeah, just a little...” 

“Shocking?” 

“Yeah because it does make things, um...” 

“Complicated?” 

He was laughing now. “Quit finishing my sentences, Carter.” 

“Sorry, sir.” 

They couldn’t seem to break the habit of calling each other sir or Carter.

He lifted her chin so he could kiss her again. It was softer than their first kiss of the night. She believed that it was good news for him. 

“Wow, a baby,” he said when they broke apart. His grin was back, but he still looked a little stunned. 

“What are we going to do?” she said, also smiling but really asking the question. 

“Easy. I retire, we get married, and live happily ever after with our kid.” 

She tensed again. It was her turn to be surprised. “Married?”

“‘course. If you want to.” 

Sam untangled from the embrace and dropped into a kitchen chair. She was as exhausted as if she had just finished an entire day of basic. He sat back too and covered her hand with his.

“Don’t go thinking it out of some obligation,” he said. “You did know this is where we were heading, right?” 

Like she had thought until death did they part, but she hadn’t been sure about making it official. 

“I guess I didn’t know if you’d want to make it legal,” she said. 

“And I figured you would. Since you and Pete...” He trailed off yet again, but she didn’t feel the need to finish the sentence for him this time. 

She had said yes to Pete because he had asked not out of any deep desire to wear a white dress. But now that she was talking about it with Jack, she liked the idea even more. 

“But hey,” he continued when she didn’t say anything, “if you don’t want to, that’s fine too. As long as home is together, the paperwork doesn’t matter.” 

“Can we decide later?” she said tentatively. 

“Yeah, of course. One big thing’s enough for tonight!” He laughed, but his gaze unfocused like he was still processing. 

“I did spring it on you, but I wanted to tell you in person.” 

“How far along do you think you are?” Now it was his turn to ask some tentative questions. 

“A few months maybe?” 

“Gotta be at least one,” he said, eyeing her with mock suspicion. 

“Yes, at the very least.” She said not raising to his teasing. 

“I don’t know. You know how mice are when cats are away.” 

“Jack?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Stop that.” 

“Okay.” 

She had always been the one to tell him when he’d reached a line. 

“How about you feeling?” he said to change the subject. 

“Fine. No severe symptoms. I’ve just been really tired and lots of food just doesn’t seem appealing.” She made a disgusted face, remembering that she had almost added milk to her tea. 

She’d forgotten about the mug and took a sip now. 

The truth was, she had been in denial for a long time. Because of the extreme things she put herself through at work, her cycle wasn’t regular. It wasn’t too unusual to skip it, but it had been at least three months. There had been a weekend she made it out to D.C. to visit in that time frame. She had always found a way to excuse the other symptoms. She was always exhausted, and it wasn’t like she was throwing up every morning in the way ‘morning sickness’ would suggest. When she had admitted to herself, she was rationalizing, she purchased the at-home tests. The second line appeared on the test stripe and she knew she was right. 

Samantha Carter, wife and mother. It had the potential to happen so quickly. She’d seen other versions of herself leading this life, but somehow she was still surprised it was happening to her. 

“I’m glad it has been crazy. For Sara, it was—” he cut off. 

He cleared his throat and looked as if he was fighting his emotions. He then got up to move away from the table, leaning on the counter and keeping his back to Sam. She looked away for a moment, torn between wanting to comfort him, and wanting to give him privacy. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Memories.” 

“It’s a lot, I know,” she said. She got up slowly, so he knew she was there, and encircled him in another hug. “I would understand if you didn’t want to go through with this.”

In all the crazy and life-threatening stunts she had pulled in her career, nothing seemed as scary to her as much as saying those words. Normal life was sometimes so much biggest than galaxies. She wanted this, and she wanted to do this with him. It would be her only chance with him if he didn’t want to be a father again. 

He straightened and flipped so suddenly she was the one being held again. 

“Hey now, I absolutely want to go through with this. Just give me a day or two before we start talking about cribs and names, okay?” 

“Whatever you need.” 

Her tone neutral, but her heart was soaring. She had been so worried about his reaction and if he would feel the same way she did. She had had a couple of days to come to her conclusions, so it was only fair that he got the same. 

“This is what I get for being with a younger woman,” he muttered and she laughed. 

The rest of the evening seemed oddly normal, except she fell asleep on the couch while they were watching the news. He woke her gently when it was over and had to lead her upstairs to their bedroom. Needless to say, he did not get the soldier’s welcome he might have been hoping for, but she thought he’d understand. 

She woke to the sunlight the next morning instead of an alarm. She could hear him moving around downstairs but stayed in bed with her eyes half-closed. It was such a treat to not have anywhere to go. 

When there was a loud thump and a few choice curses, she fully opened her eye. What was he doing? 

She rose, stretched, and grabbed a knit blanket from the end of the bed. She wrapped it over her shoulders as she went downstairs. Following the sounds, she found him in the doorway to the office picking up the contents of one of the boxes she’d packed. 

“What are you doing?” Sam asked, not bending down to help him. 

“Well, good morning to you,” he said in a huff. 

“It was a good morning until you woke me up with all the noise.” 

A looking of panic crossing his face and he stood up. “Damn, really?” 

“No, not really.” His concern disappeared. “But what are you doing?” 

“Trying to move the damn boxes to the car. They’re for donation, right?” 

The office was in a room a real estate agent would call a sunroom. It was all windows on three sides, which didn’t leave a lot of room for storage. And Sam had a lot of books. She had sorted through years of things, so there was enough room for Jack’s junk. The donation boxes had been ready for months, and neither had even made a plan to do anything with them. 

“Yeah, but why now?” she asked. 

“Because they’re heavy.” He bent back down and tossed a few more things back inside the one that had spilled. 

“Not so heavy,” she said with a laugh. 

“Yeah, but you shouldn’t be lifting anything now.” 

That wiped the smile off her face. The large implications of being pregnant hadn’t crossed her mind yet. She had been so focused on telling him. It was sort of a shock to remember there were things a pregnant woman wasn’t supposed to do. 

“My limbs haven’t stopped working,” she said hotly. She had even taken supposed physical limitations seriously before. 

Jack threw the last book back into the box with a flourish. “I know that—it’s not my rule.” He noticed the look on her face. “What’s wrong?” 

The list of things that she was about to _not_ be able to do was unfurling in her mind.

“I’m going to have to leave the team.” 

“For a while at least.” 

“Motorcycles?” She already knew the answer. 

He shook his head almost apologetically. 

She sunk down into the couch. The office and the living room were attached, so at least it wasn’t far to go. 

It was not only what changes she was going to have to make for the foreseeable future that were crossing her mind, but also that if she was three or four months along like she thought that was three or four months where anything could have happened. Three or four months of missions on other planets where she breathed air she wasn’t used to or what shot at or stunned. Three or fourth months of not eating the right things and drinks after work with SG-1. 

He leaned on the door jamb. “Are you okay?” 

She nodded. “I’ve been so focused on what to tell you. I guess I didn’t consider everything else. I’m starting to.” 

“Mission-oriented,” he said. 

She sighed because he wasn’t wrong. She liked the task that was in front of her, not the one that was next. She had overcome some pretty insurmountable odds but wasn’t so good at multitasking. 

Fine, she would just have to make being pregnant her next mission. Long-term outcome of a healthy baby. Sam put a hand to her stomach by way of a promise. She didn’t like the idea of leaving her team down a member, but it was worth it to keep this little person safe. She was ready to do just about anything to keep them safe. 

She focused on Jack again. “I think it just got real,” she said. 

“Glad that I’m not the only one who needs to do some catching up.” He came and sat next to her. “I couldn’t sleep last night because I keep thinking about all the possibilities. It started out as all the bad things. What if I make the same mistakes again? Not just the one that cost me my son, but all the tiny ones too. I wasn’t around much because of my career, so I missed a lot. That’s a regret. But I’m getting a second chance here.” 

“Life keeps going.” 

“It does, and I hated that at first. I didn’t want to go on without him.” Sam took his hand. She knew how much it cost him to talk about Charlie. “But I’m glad now,” he continued. “Glad life kept going. Glad I made it back from Abydos and all those other missions. Glad I met you. Glad I get to do things better. I finally fell asleep thinking about all the good things.” 

Sam kissed him. “I love you.” 

She didn’t know what else to say. They didn’t talk like this very often. She was glad of all those things too. So many years of military training and keeping their feelings locked away left the instinct to trust that things were understood. 

“I love you too.” 

They didn’t say it enough.

Jack hesitated, flexing the fingers of the hand not still holding hers, and then reached over the covered her belly. In the same way she had just done herself, except it was thrilling when he did it. They had made this baby together.

She leaned her head against his shoulder and they stayed that like that for a long moment. Connected, but lost in their own thoughts. 

Finally, Jack stirred. “Would ya hold the door while I get this box outside?” 

She agreed since it was the only way she could help. She let him make her breakfast too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your kind words about the first part! It really motivates a girl to get to the second part. Don't expect new parts every four days, but I don't really have anything else to do and I'm working as quickly as I can. Enjoy!

The elevator ride to the SGC felt more like a ride to the gallows. Sam knew what she needed to do, and she knew why she needed to do it, but she wasn’t looking forward to it. Her pregnancy had only been confirmed a couple of days ago, and now she needed to share it with other people. People besides Jack, that was.

She had been nervous about his reaction, but she had no idea how everyone else would react. From Landry down, it would be everyone’s business. Nothing stayed secret for long within the complex under Cheyenne Mountain. Despite this, she and Jack had decided to still keep their relationship a secret. Secret wasn’t exactly the right word; private seemed better. She wanted to keep her personal life private, to keep some things to herself. But privacy was going to bring up a whole lot of questions she didn’t want to answer or lie about.

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” Jack had said last night as they talked it over. “I got to get their asses into gear for my retirement. Everyone has been dragging their feet. If they don’t want me to quit outright, they are going to have to take me as a civilian.”

“Any idea how long that will take?” She didn’t want to do this on her own. More secrets and him stuck on the other side of the country would not be her ideal pregnancy. Rationally, she understood the reasons, but she wanted them to be together for this.

“I have no idea. But I’m not going to miss any more than I have to.”

And it was a lot to ask, especially when Sam was so tired and feeling vulnerable. Sure, it was his integrity that might be called into question when they found out he was with an officer below his rank and one who had been under his command, but she could get judged for apparently not having the father in the picture. Maybe not to her face, but who knew what people would whisper.

The elevator stopped, and the doors opened onto the level with her lab. She wanted to drop a few things off before going to the infirmary. She knew she was stalling, just wasting the time she had sped through getting into her uniform. There had been others in the locker room so she had rushed to get dressed as if everything about her had changed since Friday and they’d all be able to tell. She had only paused to pull her hair up into a tight, regulation bun.

She had a checklist of things she needed to do this morning to get her position sorted. First, she wanted to get checked out by a doctor who knew her history and that she trusted. Janet was working today, so that was one thing she didn’t need to worry about as long as the infirmary wasn’t too busy.

The lab hadn’t been used since she had left for the weekend, so there wasn’t much to do, and she was quickly heading back to the elevator. On the way to the infirmary, she kept an eye out for a familiar face. Jack was on base already because he had left before her, so they didn’t arrive together. Daniel did pass and said good morning without really looking up, but that wasn’t who she was looking for. Jack couldn’t come to the exam, but part of her was still hoping to see him.

The infirmary was empty of patients when Sam made it.

Before she could ask a nurse where Janet was, the doctor was already coming out of her office.

“Morning, Carter, everything okay? You can’t have done anything to yourself this early in the day?”

Janet could be so cheery with bright eyes and a big smile. It helped Sam relax. Janet was one of her best friends and there certainly wouldn’t be any judgment from her.

“Hi, no, I haven’t done anything. Yet. But I was hoping we could talk. In private.”

Janet looked Sam up and down and grew a little more serious. “Of course, my office.” She gestured and Sam led the way.

The office wasn’t for seeing patients. It was just Janet’s desk, a pair of extra chairs, and a row of fat filing cabinets. Janet closed the door, took her chair at her desk, and watched Sam earnestly as she sat in a spare.

“What’s going on?” Janet asked.

“Everything’s okay. It’s just, well...I’m pregnant.”

It was a repeat of Jack’s reaction on a smaller scale. Sam watched the range of emotions from shock to joy crossed Janet’s face.

“You’re what? Oh my God, that’s amazing. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were seeing anybody. Congratulations, Sam.” This was the friend talking, not the Air Force doctor.

“Thanks. It was a surprise.”

“So this wasn’t planned?”

“Um, no. But it’s good news.”

“I think it’s good news too! I can give you some names of doctors who have enough clearance to know what you do for a living. You’re not the first on this base to have a baby.”

Sam was aware of that, but she didn’t want another doctor. Not right now. She wanted her friend, the friend who had barely blinked at the announcement and that Sam was apparently doing this on her own.

“I was hoping you could check me out,” she said.

Janet looked touched. “I’m not an OB/GYN. It’s not my specialty.”

“But I trust you. I will find someone else, but just for now. Just to confirm everything is okay.”

Janet didn’t press Sam anymore. Her bedside manner was seamless, and she wasn’t about to make her worry any longer than she needed to.

“Of course. We can run the blood tests, and we can do a quick ultrasound. Baby’s first picture—I’m honored you thought of me.” She squeezed Sam’s arm reassuringly.

“Thank you. Can you also help me come up with an excuse for Landry and the rest of my team?”

“Command will have to know so you can be taken off active duty.” Sam had expected that. “But it’s confidential beyond that. You can just tell your team to butt out of your medical business.”

Sam almost laughed; that was not how SG-1 operated. They were usually very involved in each other’s business. If anyone would pressure her to reveal who the father was, it would be Daniel. Teal’c would probably figure it out first and keep to himself. At least they still haven’t picked up a fourth member yet.

“Or you can try at least,” Janet said with a shrug. “C’mon, let’s take a look.”

She gestured again, and Sam got back up. Janet could also be very focused when it came to medical care. Sam didn’t mind if they could get this all over with before another crisis. Her nerves were back, but it had nothing to do with telling people anymore.

Part of her was worried about what the tests might find. Not that she actually thought anything was wrong, but everything that her body had been through in over eight years on SG-1 played in the back of mind. What did naquadah do to a growing baby? What long-term effects did getting stunned repeatedly have? If she was honest with herself, this was the reason for her denial. It wasn’t questions about her career or how Jack or anyone else would react or even not wanting to face the hardest parts of motherhood; it was not wanting what she had been through to affect her child. She had to face that now.

Janet led her to the bed closest to the office, pulled the curtain around it before Sam sat down. Sam removed her uniform jacket so Janet could start her examination. The routine of being looked over was a little calming for Sam. They were poked and prodded after every mission. It could be any regular Tuesday.

“Are you feeling okay?” Janet asked as she removed the blood pressure cuff with the ripping sound of the Velcro.

“I think so.”

“Your BP is high for you,” Janet said as she removed a cuff from Sam’s arm.

“This is stressful,” Sam admitted.

Janet tried to hide a small head shake.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Sam continued, “‘She can blow up a sun but a medical exam is stressful.’”

“Something like that.”

“I just want everything to be okay.” She let out a small sigh.

“There’s every reason to think it will be.” Another reassuring smile.

She asked a long series of questions about Sam’s history that they had never covered in the physical exams after missions. Sam dutifully answered them all. Then, Janet took a blood sample and went to run the tests.

This left Sam alone with her worries. Her leg bounced as if she were trying to burn off the tension. There wasn’t even anything to look at hidden behind the curtain. She ran a finger around and around and around the edge of a button on the uniform jacket that was now laid across her lap.

She was lucky they were so loose fitting. It would keep a bump hidden for a long time. Not that was much of one yet. She mostly just felt a little fuller all over. Although, at this angle in the fitted black tank she wore under the jacket, maybe there was something.

Someone called her name in a hushed tone. She stopped her fidgeting to listen.

“Carter? Are you here?” it said again.

She recognized the voice. “Jack?”

He popped his head around the curtain. “There you are.”

He slipped inside. He was back in a dress uniform with his hat tucked under his arm.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. “You can’t be here.”

“We’re taking a break. When you weren’t in your lab, I thought you might be here. I don’t want to miss anything.”

Her response was interrupted by Janet’s return.

She stopped in her tracks at the sight of Jack. “General?”

“Doc?” he answered.

“May I ask what you are doing here?”

“Yeah, Jack, what are you doing here?” Sam muttered. This was more information than she had been prepared to reveal, even to Janet.

“Jack?” Janet asked, but her confusion was directed toward Sam.

Jack didn’t answer either of them. He just put a hand on Sam’s shoulder and instinctively she covered it with her own.

Janet looked between the two of them. “Oh,” she said, and then again a little louder, “Oh!”

“C’mon, you’re not that surprised,” Jack said.

Janet continued to look between the two of them with her mouth working like she was trying to figure out what to say.

“Can we talk about it later?” Sam asked. The less time Jack was absent from where he was supposed to be, the better.

“Yes, we will talk about this later, Colonel.”

Sam felt like she was being scolded, but that was the friend talking again. Janet wouldn’t give them away. In fact, she had quietly been encouraging Sam for years.

Janet focused again. “I can confirm you are pregnant.” Jack gave Sam’s shoulder a squeeze. “The blood work looks good. Levels where they are supposed to be.” She squeezed him back. “We can do the ultrasound now. Lie back.”

Sam stretched out on the bed and pulled up her shirt. Jack moved closer to her head and took her hand.

“Why risk it?” she said to him as Janet set up.

“I told you—I’m not missing anything. I could tell you were worried.”

“You’re crazy.” She wanted to kiss him but restrained herself. He always seemed to be risking everything for her. She was so glad he was there.

“Ready?” Janet asked.

When Sam nodded, Janet added a cold gel and pressed the wand to her exploded stomach. The screen on the ultrasound jumped to life. It made a few underwater noises as Janet searched for the heartbeat. Then there it was.

Under his breath, Jack said, “Wow.”

The heart was a steady little thump, thump, thump and it was magical. In the image, there was already something of a profile. The sound was what Sam liked best, so she closed her eyes and listened. She never wanted to forget it.

She opened her eyes when Janet spoke. “Everything looks good to me. Really good.”

“It’s just one, right?” Jack asked.

Sam opened her eyes with a laugh.

“Yes, just one healthy heart beat,” Janet said.

With that pronouncement, Sam looked up at Jack. There was a dopey grin on his face and she was sure she wore one too. He caught her looking and leaned down for a quick kiss. She didn’t care who saw it.

Janet used a cursor to measure. “I’d say around ten weeks.”

That put Sam at two and a half months and still in the first trimester. That was a little earlier than she had guessed, which was its own kind of relief since that was less time for her to have been doing all the wrong things.

“So not the last time I was in D.C.,” Sam said, and Jack snorted.

“Post New Year’s?” he suggested.

Sam had gone to her brother’s for the holidays and Jack had needed to work so they couldn’t be together. They had spent almost a week at the cabin as soon as they were free. It was another solid possibility.

“My estimate might be off,” Janet said. “This isn’t my specialty.”

“I’ll go to a real OB—I promise,” Sam said.

“Good. I am not supposed to be your primary care doctor.” Janet sounded like she was arguing, but she was smiling.

She gave them a few more minutes to watch the screen, then made a few captures to printed out. She went to get them.

Sam found a towel to wipe off the gel and sat up.

“It will be hard to know that the ultrasound is here and not want to do that every day,” Sam said.

He nodded. “Pretty amazing, huh?” He was still staring at the blank screen with that stunned look on his face. He blinked. “Is that everything Fraiser was going to do? I should get back or they’ll send out a search party.”

“They probably already have.”

“I’d rather be here.”

“I know.”

He kissed her again. “See you later.” He ducked out from behind the curtain and she heard him say, formally, “Thank you, Dr. Fraiser.”

“Of course, sir.”

Sam hopped off the bed and emerged too. Janet had the images in her hand. Sam grabbed one at random and took a few hurried steps to catch up to Jack who was already leaving the infirmary.

“Wait, sir,” she said.

When he stopped to glance back, she pressed the image into his hand. He kept moving and didn’t say anything, but she saw him slip it into his breast pocket.

“Carter,” Janet said from where she was still standing beside the curtained area, “let’s continue our conversation in my office.”

Sam really felt like she was being called to the principal’s office. Still, she obeyed. For the second time, the office door closed and they each took their chairs.

“Samantha Carter,” Janet said. “Explain this to me right now.”

“Jack is the father,” she said, bracing for the fallout.

Janet sighed in exasperation. “How long have you been together?”

“Since he left the SGC.”

The afternoon after his going away party, he had shown up on her back porch. The party had been miserable for her and she had tried to drown her sorrow in beers. When she realized it wasn’t working, she had bailed without saying goodbye. She didn’t want him to leave, but she had no idea what to say to make him stay.

Her dad had just died, and she had just ended things with Pete because she realized her feelings for him would never match her feelings for Jack. She had done that for herself because she didn’t want to settle just because people were supposed to get married. But of course, there had been a small hope that maybe something with Jack would finally happen. After the way she had acted, he had to know she was still invested. Seeing him with someone else had to be harder than breaking up with Pete. And on top of all that, he was leaving for good. It had been too much. Hence all the beer.

That next day she had looked through her window and found him loitering.

“Sir? What are you doing here?” she had said through the screen door. She had done the same thing to him, so she couldn’t be too critical.

“You left.” He raised his arms in a wide ‘what the hell?’ gesture.

She had taken a few steps outside. “Last night?”

“Of course, last night. I had something all planned out—knew exactly what I was gonna say, but you’d left.”

“I had, um, a little too much to drink, and I didn’t think there was anything left to talk about.”

“What do you mean by that? You know why I left the SGC, don’t you?”

“No, sir, I don’t.”

“You don’t have to call me sir. Not when it’s just us.”

Just us? When was there ever an us? It had always been a maybe between them. She hadn’t known what to say to him. She had just stood there shaking her head and trying to come up with the words.

“I’m not your commanding officer anymore,” he had said. “This was all for you, dammit.”

She stopped shaking her head but was still looking at him with confusion and not daring to hope that he meant what she thought he did.

“For me?” He had made it clear, but part of her still couldn’t—wouldn’t—believe it. “You gave up command...for me?”

“Carter, it’s been for you since about the second day.”

“But—” She had moved a step closer.

“No buts. We don’t have to follow those rules anymore.”

“You’re sure?” Another step.

“Sure enough I quit without talking to you first. Which I’m thinking was a mistake.”

She was close enough to touch him now. She reached out and put a hand on his arm. “It wasn’t—it wasn’t a mistake.”

Then, he had kissed her and the strangest part was that it had been a familiar kiss. It was the feeling of coming home. She’d led him inside and he didn’t leave for two days. He never really left since he started spending all his time in Colorado with her.

“Since his going away party?” Janet said slowly when Sam had finished a quicker version.

Sam nodded wearily. She had no idea what Janet was going to say next.

“Sam, that was months and months ago.”

She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. She had hated lying to her friend, but it was just easier to keep the whole thing to themselves then remember who knew and who didn’t. “I know—I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you.”

“You so could have told me.”

“It never came up.”

“That is worth a phone call. Jeez, you both have been in love for close to a decade and you can’t even pick up the phone when you finally get together.”

“It’s been a strange time. He’s away so much and we haven’t defined anything.”

“But you’re having his baby and he seems thrilled about it? I mean, he snuck out of a meeting to be with for the scan. That is a pretty clear definition from where I’m sitting.”

“I know! But it’s not like the baby was part of the plan.”

“Meant to be,” Janet said and flopped back in her chair. “Anything else you haven’t told me?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“There better not be. Any more good news and I might burst.”

“You won’t tell anyone?”

“No, of course not as your friend or doctor. Well, I have to tell Landry to take you off active duty, but that’s it.”

Sam groaned. “I’m going to have to keep making the big reveal over and over again.”

“Oh I don’t know—you could always just keep it quiet for a few more months.”

“I’m not going to live that down?”

“Not yet.” Janet sighed and Sam could only give her a guilty look. She held out the rest of the print out from the ultrasound for Sam to take. “I’m really, really happy for you. You know that right?”

“I do, thank you.”

They talked for a while longer, but eventually, they both needed to get back to work. Sam left the infirmary with the list of doctor’s Janet recommended, the ultrasound pictures, and more peace of mind as she had had in about a week.

She worked the rest of the morning while trying to ignore the images. Just when she was thinking about getting an early lunch when there was a knock on her lab door. General Landry hovered in the opening when she looked up.

“General,” she said as she stood at attention.

She was still getting used to this new commander and wanted to extend all signs of respect. After so many years under Hammond and then a year with Jack, it was odd to have an unknown as the head of the SGC. Landry seemed to fit the model.

“At ease, Colonel,” he said as he came into her lab just a little. “I’ve just finished a meeting with Dr. Fraiser.”

Janet didn’t waste any time.

“Yes, sir?” Sam said.

“She explained your situation, so congratulations are in order.”

“Oh, thank you, sir.”

“I understand it’s still early so I won’t make a big deal about it, but I’m approving you for lab work while not on active duty. The timing is pretty superb. Dr. Jackson has been begging to be assigned to the Atlantis mission and Teal’c has been rightly spending more time with the Jaffa nation. Looks like we may create an entirely new SG-1. I appreciate you making my job easier since working in a new person can be tricky.”

“Happy to help?” she said, very unsure of what he wanted her to say or what he was getting at.

“I know you had nothing to do it with. Just thinking aloud, I suppose.” He straightened his shoulders. “I just wanted to speak to you in person about your position. Again, congrats.”

“Thank you, sir.”

And then he was gone again.

She stayed at attention for a moment. An entirely new SG-1? That was a strange thought, but not unsurprising given all four of the original members seemed to be heading in different directions. This day was getting weird.

She perched back on her stool again. The standing had also made her realize her back was aching. She had been too focused on work to notice before.

She closed her eyes while she tried to stretch out the knot. When she opened them again, another figure was in the doorway.

Jack flashed her a smile. “We've got to stop meeting like this.”

“You better be careful—Landry was just here.”

He came into the lab and leaned against the table in front of her. “Ah, I watched him leave.”

“You’re the one who wants to keep this private and you’re the one who is going to get us caught.”

“So let ‘em.”

She gave him a deadpan look.

“Okay, okay, I know. I’m making it harder for you. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t believe him, and he knew it.

“What can I say? You’re a distraction.”

She smiled at him while kneading her back again.

He noticed what she was doing. “What’s wrong with your back?”

“It hurts.” She rolled her eyes.

He straightened. “C’mere.”

“No, Jack, not here.”

But he was already moving behind her. “It’s from being hunched over the laptop all day,” he said.

“Nothing to do with your child is rearranging my insides.”

He put his hands just above her hips and dug his thumbs along her spine. Her complaints stopped at once. It felt wonderful.

“It’s my child now?”

“Mhm hmm.” She’d stop listening. She closed her eyes, enjoying his touch and the relief it was bringing.

They both heard hurried footsteps at the same time. Sam opened her eyes and Jack took a few steps away from her. Daniel came barreling in a moment later. He was holding a fistful of papers and was slightly out of breath, more likely from excitement than exertion.

“Sam, guess what?” He spotted Jack before she could answer. “Jack?”

“Daniel.”

“What are you doing here?”

“The meetings with—”

“I mean here, here.” Daniel pointed around him to the lab.

“Visiting.”

“What’s the big news?” Sam asked.

“Right! I’m going to Atlantis!” He looked even more like a kid on Christmas morning than usual.

“Great news! You finally got approval,” Sam said.

“Way to go,” said Jack.

“You don’t mind, do you? I never really asked if me leaving was a problem. I know it’s a little late to be asking,” Daniel said.

“No, it’s not a problem since I’m sort of leaving too.”

“You’re what?” Daniel asked.

“I’m off active duty, so it kind of freed up SG-1’s mission schedule.”

“But why?”

She could say a medical issue and tell him the rest later. She could just make up some other lie. It was still early days to be telling friends about her pregnancy. Command needed to know and she appreciated how Landry had handled it. But this was Daniel.

“Well,” she glanced at Jack and then looked away quickly, “I’m pregnant, so I need to stay here.”

Once again, shock was the first reaction. Daniel got over it just like the others had and gave out a hug and a congratulation.

“Wow, that’s—wow, Sam. I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

“It’s a _private_ life for a reason,” Jack said.

“Did you know about this?” Daniel asked him, seeming to remember Jack was there.

“She was just telling me.” He had his hands jammed in his pockets and he sort of leaned towards Sam.

“It seems...unexpected,” Daniel said.

“Works out well for you, eh?” Jack said.

Sam ignored Jack’s comment. “Yes, it wasn’t planned, but we’re happy about it.”

Oops, she knew at once she had said too much.

“We?” Daniel prodded. “So there is a we?”

"I meant a more general we," Sam said quickly.

"So you doing this by yourself?" That did seem to shock him. 

“Daniel, let her alone,” Jack said.

Daniel frowned a little at the warning tone in Jack’s voice.

“It’s okay, sir,” Sam said, giving a different warning to Jack. “He’s just curious. It’s still early, so would mind keeping it to yourself? Only a few people who needed to know do, but I wanted you to be one of them, especially if you will be leaving. When does the mission start?”

She knew perfectly well when the Atlantis mission was scheduled to embark, but she wanted to shift the conversation to something—anything—else or Jack would give them away. He could be so protective. It was that it would be so bad if Daniel knew, but if they were going to tell him, she didn’t want to do it at the SGC. Jack shouldn't have been so bold to tell Janet or be giving her messages in labs where cameras were sometimes used to monitor activities.

They could have a little dinner party to make the announcement to their teammates together. But not yet. Not until they had some kind of idea when Jack would be a civilian. And not until she was in her second trimester. With Teal'c off-world, it would be easier to tell everyone at once.

Daniel had begun talking about the Atlantis, so it didn’t really matter that neither Sam nor Jack were paying much attention.

“How about lunch?” Jack blurted.

“Oh, okay, that sounds good,” Daniel said.

“I’m starving,” said Sam.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam’s phone buzzed as she pulled her car in a space in front of the coffee shop where Cassie had started working a summer job. 

She cut the engine and answered it. “Carter,” she said automatically. 

“Hey, it’s me,” Jack said. 

She checked the little clock in the dashboard. It was the middle of a workday. Sam was actually using some of her accumulated comp time to pick Cassie up after her shift. She had only returned to Colorado a week earlier after finishing her first year of college, and Sam hadn’t seen her yet. That was why Sam wasn’t at work, but it didn’t explain why Jack had time in the middle of his day. 

He was back in D.C. and had been for three weeks. It was his longest stint since finding out she was pregnant. He’d made a quick trip for a few days, but this was one of his usual trips. They still hadn’t told many people about the baby and even less about them being together. Short of faking a serious illness, he’d run out of reasons to put it off. 

“Is something wrong?” she asked. 

“Um, no. Should something be wrong?” 

“Why are you calling?” 

“Can’t a guy just call to say hey to the woman he loves? Jeez.” 

She scoffed but was grinning to herself. She liked it when he talked like that. “Sorry. It’s the middle of the day.” 

“I got a few minutes to myself and was just wondering what you were up to. I was listening—I knew you were taking the day off.” 

He hadn’t been listening too closely if he didn’t know she was meeting Cassie. 

Instead of pointing that out, she said, “Well, I guess it’s nice to be thought about.” 

“Damn right. I’m very thoughtful.” 

She laughed because he was selectively thoughtful. There were only a few people who made the cut. 

“So?” he said. 

“So what?” 

“So, what are you doing?” 

“I’m waiting for Cassie.” 

“Right. This is so unfair,” Jack complained. “That sounds like more fun than what I have to do.” 

“She’s home for the rest of the summer. You’ll get your chance. Besides, I want her all to myself.” 

“You gonna tell her about the baby?” 

“Yeah and about, well, you. Since Janet knows and Cassandra has proven capable of keeping a secret.” 

He snorted. “She has. I wish I could be there, too.” 

Sam understood why, but she was glad she would tell Cassie on her own. She felt there was more to talk about than just the facts, and that required a one-on-one conversation. Janet was her mother but there was something of that in Sam’s relationship with Cassie too. It was part mothering, part big sister, and part friend. She was the one Cassie first had held onto. 

“I’m a little nervous,” she admitted. “It’s a lot of changes.” 

“For Cassie or for us?” 

“Both,” she said with a little laugh. “Any update on your schedule?” He could be coming home soon.

“Not yet.” 

Sam tried not to be too disappointed. Nothing changed, but she preferred a number to count down. The trip would be over when the work was over. 

The door she had been watching opened and Cassie stepped out. “Oh, there she is. I have to go. Love you.” 

“Love you too. Bye.” 

Cassie stopped on the curb and scanned the street. She wasn’t expecting Sam, and her gaze moved right past the car. Sam waited a moment to admire the woman Cassie had become. Sam couldn’t list the number of times she had saved the world, but it was saving this one girl that she was the proudest of. Not for the first time, she thought that normal life could be so much bigger than galaxies. It hadn’t been perfect, but Cassie was smart and tough and finding her way. 

Sam honked and waved when Cassie looked over. Cassie’s eyes grew wide with excitement and surprise. She hurried to Sam’s window as she rolled it down. 

“Is this why Mom won’t let me take her car this morning?” Cassie asked as a greeting. 

“I think it might be. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Absolutely not!” 

Cassie checked the street for other cars before coming around to the passenger side. Before settling into her seat, she gave Sam a big hug across the center console. It was so good to have her back. 

“Welcome home,” Sam said. “How’s it been being back?” 

Sam remembered the transition back home after her first year—and dealing with some of her father’s rules again—to be a little rough. Not that Janet was very strict, but it was just different after sort of living on her own. 

“I’m so glad to be out of the dorms. Mom was teasing me for sleeping, like, the whole first day, but there was no one yelling or slamming doors to wake me up.” Cassie laughed at herself. “It has been nice to see everyone again too.” 

“It’s nice to have you back.” 

“Are you taking me home?” Cassie said. 

“Want some ice cream first?” 

Cassie laughed. “Of course! We haven’t done this in years.” 

When Cassie was younger, Sam had helped Janet as much as she could. Besides their chess game, Sam had done pickups and drop-offs any time Janet had to work when she didn’t. Cassie sometimes stayed with Sam for a night or two if Janet had late shifts. To make it special, Sam took her to get ice cream regardless of the time of day or year as often as she could. The tradition had dropped off as Cassie got older and didn’t need to be picked up. 

Their favorite place wasn’t too far from the coffee shop, so Sam filled the rest of the drive with questions about Cassie’s new job. She was waiting until they had their treats before bringing up the reason for wanting to be the one who picked Cassie up. 

The ice cream shop was in a little shopping square, perfect for walking and talking on a nice day like today. Sam got out of the car carefully to make sure her dress didn’t reveal too much of her belly. She was eighteen weeks pregnant now and starting to look at it. There wasn’t a big bump, but it was there and anyone who knew her was unlikely to assume it was just a big meal. It could be hidden with strategic clothing choices. Her uniform jacket covered it, but she was having some trouble making her civilian clothing work in the same way. The dress was a loose fit with a blue and white pattern that reminded her of teapots, but it could cling when she moved. Cassie was on the other side, but Sam was more nervous than she had admitted to Jack and didn’t want any chance of Cassie guessing. 

As it was still the middle of the day and not quite ice cream season yet, they were the only customers in the shop. Cassie tried to pay for hers, which Sam would never allow, but she took as a sign that Cassie really was growing up. 

As usual, Cassie got right to the point once they left the shop. She had some kind of chocolate monstrosity while Sam had a lemon sorbet because she still wasn’t enjoying dairy. 

“Not that this isn’t a nice surprise, but what’s the occasion?” Cassie said. 

“I haven’t seen you in a while. At least on your own.” 

“Not since I could drive myself places.” 

“You’re probably right. I missed it.” 

“I missed it too.” 

“You know that no matter what happens, I’m always right here for you. Whether it’s for a ride or anything else.” 

They were walking side by side, but Sam still saw Cassie’s frowned. “I know that—I’ve always known that. No matter how far away I go to college.” 

“Another planet wouldn’t stop me.”

“I know that too. It didn’t stop you when we first met. And you’re here, right? I know everyone is busy and away,” she did air quotes as she said away, “but I thought there’d be some overlap. Jack is the only one who gets a pass for being in Washington.” 

She was teasing and looked to Sam to be in on the joke, but Sam was struggling with Jack being in D.C.

“What’s really going on?” Cassie asked, trying to read Sam’s expression. “Has something changed?” 

“Not between you and me,” Sam said quickly. “But, well, speaking of Jack—General O’Neill—there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” 

Cassie gasped; she looked giddy with anticipation. “Oh, please! Please!”

“Please what?” 

“You just called him Jack. Does that mean it’s happened? Mom thought you were seeing someone again. She said you were leaving the base on time again. I just want to hear you say it’s Jack.” 

Sam felt her face flush. Was she so transparent? Her private torch had apparently been on display. So far, those who knew everything had been much more surprised that she was pregnant than Jack was the father. 

“You always have been very intuitive,” she said. “Yes, Jack and I are together and what’s more, we’re having a baby.” 

Cassie stopped dead in her tracks, so Sam ended up a few steps ahead of her. She let out a whoop and then threw her arms around Sam’s neck. Sam had to take a step back to keep from getting knocked over. It was also a good thing Cassie had finished her cone by now or it would have spilled down Sam’s back. 

“Take it easy,” Sam said with a laugh. Any embarrassment melting away in the face of pure joy. So what if everyone had known if the people in her life were this happy for her? 

Cassie let out something like a squeak and let go. “Oh my god, oh my god,” she said, “did I hurt you?” 

“No, of course not. I just don’t want to fall over. You’re a little taller than when we first met.” 

“Oh my god, Sam, this is so amazing. A baby! Congratulations! I’m so happy for you both.” She was grinning. “I knew it. I just knew it! Does Mom know?” 

Sam started walking again, and Cassie did too. “And yes, Janet knows about it all. I told her I wanted to tell you because I wanted to make sure you knew nothing has to change between us.” 

Cassie laughed and rolled her eyes. “It will change because you will have a real kid.” 

“I don’t like it when you talk like that. Neither Janet nor I want to erase the family you had before, but just because we don’t share DNA doesn’t make love less real.” 

“I know that,” Cassie said in a gentle tone. “That’s not what I meant. Things are going to change, but it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I don’t think you’ll forget about me.” 

“Never in a million years,” Sam said. 

She put an arm around Cassie’s shoulders. She was only a couple inches shorter than Sam. 

“You’re going to be a great mom, I mean it.”

Sam wished she had the same confidence. She wasn’t so worried about being with the kid, but with how much she would be away or worse, would want to be away. 

Jack’s retirement was the focus but it brought up thoughts about her own work, too. His kept him far from their home, but hers put her on different planets and more than occasionally in mortal peril. If she was asking him to leave his job, what right did she have to continue with hers? 

She knew what it was like to grow up without a mom, and she never wanted to do that to her kid. But it wouldn’t just be the baby she might leave. Jack would be alone too. Being single had saved pain from whoever she was with. It was easier to contemplate with a partner was just as willing to put themselves at risk. At least she didn’t need to explain herself to Jack. That had been a positive of dating a cop, too. Once Pete found out what she actually did, he never questioned her being on the frontline, just if she was sane for talking about aliens.

She tried to keep any ego out of it, but she was better suited than almost anyone on Earth to do her job. She had more experience and practical knowledge at the very least. Putting herself in danger was always about protecting others. She did it so they didn’t have to; so they didn’t even know how close they had come to danger. So did she have a right to sit on the sidelines? 

Even now she felt a little guilty that there was no SG-1 to going on missions. Not so guilty that she wanted to put her unborn child at risk, but what if there was a problem that she could solve that someone else couldn’t? 

They were complicated questions that she couldn’t answer on her own. In some ways, it felt like they had all the time in the world to figure it all out, but part of her knew the baby would be arriving much faster than they thought. 

“What are you thinking about now?” Cassie asked as they came close to completing a lap of the shopping area. 

“That is would be easier if I really did study deep space telemetry,” Sam said with a sigh. “And that my baby’s father worked at a bank.” 

Cassie laughed with her head back. “Colonel Carter, you would hate that so much.” 

“Probably,” Sam shrugged. “But it would make life simpler.” 

“At least your baby will be from here. Can you imagine having an alien for a daughter?” Cassie was teasing again. 

They were still pretty much alone so they could talk a little more openly, but they were both paying attention to their surroundings. Maybe that was why they both noticed the store. 

A few doors down, there was a quintessential baby store. The sign was in soft pastels and the broad window was filled with three tiers of the precious outfits, toys, and furniture. 

“Let go in,” Cassie said as they stopped in front of it. 

“Oh God, I’m not sure I’m ready for that.” 

“C’mon! Tiny clothes! Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?” 

“Not yet.” 

“You’re going to wait?” 

“No, but Jack couldn’t be at the last doctor’s appointment.” 

It had been a couple of weeks ago. She had strongly disliked going on her own, but she needed to follow the schedule. However, she wasn’t about to find out such a big announcement without him. 

“Well, I’m sure we can still find something,” Cassie said. 

“Fine, but we are not buying the entire store.” 

“Deal.” Cassie held the door for Sam. 

A delicate little bell chimed as they entered. Sam stared around the store. The busy window had been nothing compared to inside. Floor to ceiling, shelves were crammed with stacks of items. There were racks of clothes throughout and even some high chairs and cribs on display, leaving only a narrow path through the store. 

“Whoa, do babies need all this?” Cassie asked under her breath. 

“No idea,” Sam said back, somehow feeling a little guilty for having the answer. 

She and Jack hadn’t got any supplies yet. Like so many things, it felt like they had time. But as Sam was realizing maybe they didn’t. And she didn’t know where to begin. 

Cassie had already wandered away to look at what was on the shelves Every new item caused her to say something like, “It’s so soft!” or “Look how little!” 

Then, a clerk came hurrying from the back. She was an old lady with a long silver braid that hung over her shoulder. 

“So sorry! Took me a moment to realize I’d heard the bell. I’m Amber. Are you looking for yourself or someone else? In most circles, that is an outrageous question to ask, I know, but it saves a lot of time when you work here.” 

Amber was a chatterbox, Sam decided. But she seemed eager to help. 

“For me.” 

“Congratulations! What number is this?”

“My first.” 

“Even more exciting! How far along?” 

“Eighteen weeks.” 

“Boy or girl?” 

“We don’t know.” 

“The patience of a saint!” 

Sam did not know why she was answering this woman’s questions. At least, Amber didn’t appear to be judging any of her answers. She wasn’t sure if she had been this upfront with anyone but her doctor so far. Sam was definitely not going to explain—for the second time—why she didn’t know the baby's sex yet, so she just nodded blandly. 

“What do you have so far?” Amber asked next. 

“Not much—we’re just looking today.” 

Amber was clearly seeing the big-ticket items Sam needed to buy. “For mom, I find it best to start with the crib. That can set the style for the nursery and all accessories.” 

She led the way to where the cribs were and for some reason, Sam followed. Amber started going on about the merits of some probably expensive feature. 

“That’s something to think about,” Sam said, interrupting Amber’s flow. “I’m just not ready to buy anything big today. I’m sure I’ll be back later.” 

“I know it seems like forever, but you do want to get started.” That is not the advice Sam wanted to hear. 

“I know—my husband is away and we want to do this together.” 

“Away? That must be tough.” 

“Yes, but we’re both in the military so it comes with the territory.” This was another topic she didn’t want to go over with Amber. 

“Dear me, is he overseas? What do they call it? Deployed?” 

“No, fortunately. He’s in Washington D.C.” 

“Well, it must still be tough. Thank you for your service.” 

This woman had no clue. 

Cassie came to Sam’s rescue. She had reappeared holding out a navy baby blanket covered with constellations. 

“I’m getting you this,” Cassie announced. 

“You ready don’t have to,” Sam said a little overwhelmed by the gesture. 

“I want to.” 

“You just started your job.” 

“I worked over the semester, so don’t make this about money.” 

“Let her treat you,” Amber said. “It’s a wonderful product. So soft and machine washable. Just let it line dry.” 

Sam wasn’t listening to Amber. She had recognized the look in Cassie’s eyes and knew she wouldn’t win. Only Janet seemed strong-willed enough to overcome Cassie’s determination. 

“Okay, then,” she said, smiling so broadly her cheeks were hurting. “Thank you. It’s stunning.” 

Amber seemed pleased to be making any kind of sale, so they were able to leave once the blanket was paid for and wrapped up. 

“Can I ask you something?” Cassie said as they walked back to the car. “I heard you say husband to that lady. You and Jack didn’t get married, did you?” 

“Well, no. It keeps it simple for busybodies.”

“Good. I want to be there when you do get married.” 

“ _If_ we do, I promise you can be our flower girl.” 

By the time Sam was heading home, the sun had set. She had gone in to say hello to Janet and show off the new blanket when she dropped Cassie off. Janet had convinced her to stay for dinner, so the visit had lasted longer than she had expected. 

She was grateful when she turned onto her street. It had somehow been an eventful day off and she looking forward to getting into her bed. She might try to call Jack too, but with the different time zones he might be finishing up his workday. 

It took her a moment to register something was off after she had pulled into the driveway. She was halfway out of the car, reaching for the bag with Cassie’s gift, when she caught the light reflecting in the side mirror. Slowly, she turned to look at the house and all the lights were on. 

She had not left any lights on when she left mid-afternoon to meet Cassie. There was a lamp by the back door was on a timer, but that should be it. Instead, the kitchen, living room, and even in the bedroom were shining. The windows had curtains or shades so she couldn’t tell what was going on, but there had to be someone in her house. 

It was a very poor burglar who turned on all the lights so she wasn’t exactly scared, but she was wishing for her sidearm. But, again, she had been going for ice cream and wasn’t prepared. The only thing she could find in the car a sturdy, metal flashlight from the glove compartment. The main problem with that was it was only about as long as her hand. 

She left everything besides her phone in the car and, armed with her measly weapon, she approached the house. The backdoor locked automatically, so she had to use her keys. The door opened, but she stayed on the porch. 

“Hello?” she called inside. 

In response, she heard some hurried footsteps above her and then on the stairs. They faced the front of the house, so she still couldn’t see who it was. She was poised, ready for whatever action she needed to take. 

Jack appeared and moved towards her with a proud smile on his face. Relief floods her body, taking with it any adrenaline. She was suddenly very aware that her heart was racing. She took a few steps inside, but let him come to her and let herself be enveloped by his hug and savor his kisses. It seemed they were just always saying goodbye and hello again. But he was back. 

“Surprise,” he said when he finally let her go. 

It was so casual part of her wanted to hit him over the head with the flashlight, anyway. The other part of her was still just so relieved.

“How the hell did you get here?” she said, dumping the flashlight on the counter nearest the door. 

“I flew commercial for you!” he said in mock horror. That was insult to injury for a former test pilot. “I got the first flight out that didn’t have me at the airport at five o’clock in the morning.” 

“You knew when we talked earlier?” 

“I was already here. Had to call you when you weren’t home.” 

“Jack, you big liar.” 

“Good surprise, though?” He was grinning again. 

“Now I know it’s you. Not so much when I noticed the house wasn’t the same as when I left it. I didn’t know why all the lights were on.” 

His smile disappeared. “Well, I didn’t know you’d be back after dark, but maybe surprising the pregnant lady wasn’t such a good idea.”

“Not sure it has anything to do with the baby, but you could’ve got a flashlight to the face.” She gestured to her discarded weapon. Her heart rate was only now back to normal. 

“I didn’t think—I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I think the word is startled. I can handle myself.”

“I am very aware of that.” 

“I’m not alone right now,” she said, realizing what had been so frightening as she did. She would have been able to take out almost any kind of intruder, but throw herself into a fight the way she was used to could have put the baby at risk. 

He seemed to understand what she meant and stepped forward again. This time he put a hand to her belly, too. He looked surprised. He didn’t take his hand away; she covered his with her hand. 

“Baby’s growing,” he said with awe in his voice. She was bigger than the last time he saw her. 

“Every day,” she said simply, not wanting to rub it in that he was missing things. 

After a moment, she realized the rest of her things were still in the car. He insisted on getting them and since he was the reason she felt the need to leave it all, she let him. 

“What is in the fancy bag?” he asked, admiring the wrap job Amber did for the blanket. 

“A baby gift from Cassie.” 

Sam gestured, and he handed it over. She carefully moved all the tissue paper out of the way and pulled out the blanket. She laid it out over half the kitchen table so he could see. He traced one of the constellations with a finger. 

“We ended up at a baby store,” she explained as she sat in a kitchen chair. 

“So, the visit went well?” 

“It did. She wasn’t surprised about us.” 

“She’s a smart kid. Got good taste—this is perfect for our kid.” 

“I know. We’ll get so much more of this kind of stuff. You should’ve seen this store. Wall to wall. We’ll need a nursery before too long.” 

The house had two bedrooms, so there was space at least. It was set up as a guest bedroom now, but only Mark visited. The last three times he had brought his family, so they had stayed in a hotel since the room wasn’t big enough for four people. 

Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I guess we will.” 

“How long are you staying?” she asked, very unsure if she wasn’t to hear the answer. He might just have to time for a couple of days. 

He smiled again. “That brings me to the real surprise. I’m just a messenger at this point.” 

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Meaning?” 

“Well, I told my boss, the one at the top, some of what’s going on.” 

Sam coughed. “You told the president?” 

“Not all the details, but I told him why my girl needed me home. He says congrats.” 

Normally, she might have argued with him over whether she _needed_ him or not, but she couldn’t right now. She didn’t want to do this on her own any more than he wanted to miss it, which meant he needed to be home.

“Wow,” she said. What else did you say when the president wishes you well? “What does that mean?” 

“No return date right now. I’m not sure exactly how long it’ll last, but might be on standby. I spent this whole trip getting things to a place to be delegated or run on autopilot. A crisis could undo all that, but I’m home.” 

That earned him another kiss, so she stood up to reach him. When she started to sit back down, he caught by the hips and pulled her back.


	4. Chapter 4

“I hear you’re testing something cool today.”

Sam looked up from her laptop to find Cameron Mitchell standing in the doorway to her lab’s observation deck. He had the energy of a kid who was asking if he could open a Christmas present early.

“I hear you’re doing whatever it takes to avoid picking the new SG-1,” she said.

He seated himself in the chair next to her. “I’m not avoiding anything—I just want to be fully informed before I make decisions about the kinds of people I want on my team.” He leaned closer, so he didn’t need to speak so loudly.“It’s hard to know you’ll be choosing the B team.”

She scoffed but smiled at him. “Everyone on this base is—“

“The best in the world. I want the best of the best.”

She leaned back in her seat, making her rounded belly even more obvious. She was six, getting close to seven months pregnant now and there was no way to hide it anymore. Yet she seared away from the topic. It wasn’t a secret anymore, but not discussing avoided questions.

“It’s not an option right now,” she said pointedly.

The baby had kicked when she had changed her position. She put her hand to the spot and pressed back. She got another responding kick.

Cameron held up his hands in surrender. “I know—I know.”

It was only a temporary surrender. She had earned a reprieve from his requests to re-join SG-1 when he found out she was pregnant, but it didn’t stop him from hinting that he wanted her back when her maternity leave was over. Sam knew she would come back, but not in what capacity yet. It would be entirely their choice—hers and Jack’s—but she just couldn’t know how she would feel.

Cameron was already adding to his collection. Daniel with Vala by his side had already rejoined, and Teal’c was also around more often.

“I wasn’t asking long term,” he continued. “I just heard there was Ancient tech being tested today and wanted to see if I could observe.”

Technically, he was correct, but it would not be the kind of test he was hoping for. Yes, it was a test that had to do with ZPM, but it was about power inputs and outputs. He probably only knew about it because she had requisitioned a shield device to keep the experiment contained. They didn’t want to risk pulling or producing energy outside their control.

“There won’t be much to see,” she said.

Observing was going to be sitting and watching her and Dr. Lee fiddle with the numbers.

“I know it’s not all space ships, weapons testing, and exploding suns.”

“It’s very, very rarely exploding suns,” she reminded him.

“See? I have so much to learn.” He was grinning at her, still looking like that boy at Christmas.

“Okay, if you want to.”

She explained a little about what they were testing, but he still decided to stay. He helped while she and Dr. Lee finished setting up and did seem like he was trying to learn. He asked good questions and grasped the basics. Sam was making fun comparisons in her head to the SG-1’s previous leader and his utter lack of interest in the technical side of things. Jack just wanted things to work. Period.

But then the test started. Dr. Lee was inside the shield while Sam and Cameron stayed in the observation deck. Sam was monitoring and taking notes from outside the field for comparison later. As she had anticipated, Cameron’s excitement did not last long once the shield activated.

Cameron started fidgeting, swiveling back and forth on his chair and tapping his fingers on the edge. This felt more in line with what she was used to. Still, it was distracting, especially on top of the baby’s movements. It felt like she might have the hiccups at present.

“You can go,” she said, taking her eyes off the screen for the first time.

“No, no, I said I’d help.”

“It’s not going to be more exciting than this. I tried to warn you.”

He popped out of the chair. “I shoulda listened.” He was halfway out the door. “Call when you’re done.”

She waved, but he was already gone.

Even much later, Sam wasn’t sure what happened next. One second she was turning back to the laptop and the next she was flat on her back, gasping for air with the wind knocked out of her. There was broken glass around her and smoke and alarms in the air. The area had gone dark except for the flashing warnings that something was wrong. It added to the confusion.

Just as suddenly, there was a pair of firm hands grabbing her by the upper arms, hauling her to her feet, and pulling her arm over a shoulder. When she could finally tell who it was, she was somehow surprised to see Cameron again. He practically carried her down the stairs from the observation deck. It was slow going; her legs seemed made of blue jello and each breath ached in her lungs.

The passage had lights and was filled with people. Security and medical teams had arrived.

“Anyone else?” a sergeant asked Cameron.

“Not on the deck.”

The sergeant moved on. Someone with fire suppressant hurried past.

“What about Bill?” she asked, though her voice was hoarse and choked.

“Already being helped,” he said. “We’re worrying about you right now.”

She wasn’t considering going to Dr. Lee’s aid; she just needed to make sure someone else was.

He got her clear of the middle of the madness and set her down gingerly on the floor. She put all of her weight on him as she lowered her down. He stayed beside her as she leaned back against the wall.

“Hey, medic!” he called as soon as he could let her go.

A young medical officer appeared.

“Nah, sorry,” Cameron said, not warding the lieutenant off, but not getting out of her way. “We need the boss too. Fraiser!”

Janet emerged from the crowd and dropped to her knees next to Sam. She gave Sam a reassuring smile as she pulled her stethoscope from around her neck.

“What happened?” she asked.

Cameron answered for Sam. “Not sure on what caused it but there was some kind of explosion. I had only just walked out. I found her on her back.”

Janet guided Sam forward so she could listen to Sam’s lungs. With a nod to the lieutenant, Sam got an oxygen mask with a small, portable tank.

The lieutenant pressed a gauze to Sam’s arm. She looked down for the first time to notice she was bleeding from a gash on her forearm.

Janet lifted Sam’s chin so she could check Sam’s vision with a light next.

“Did you lose consciousness?” she asked.

“Not sure,” said Sam, taking in her first few easy breaths. “What about the baby?”

Janet just nodded and kept working on her examination.

Sam pulled the mask away. Cameron took it out of her hand and put it back. She moved it again.

“The baby?” she repeated.

“One thing at a time,” Janet said gently and replaced the mask again.

After what felt like forever to Sam, Janet put the stethoscope to Sam’s belly. She was nodding again.

“Steady heartbeat—that’s a good sign,” Janet said. “Have you felt the baby move?”

“Before—just before.” Sam’s voice was choked again, but it wasn’t from the smoke. She swallowed back her tears.

“Any pain?”

Sam’s entire body hurt in a dull, faraway pain, so she wasn’t exactly sure how to answer the question. She nodded and shrugged at the same time.

“It’s okay, Sam. We will take care of both of you.” She squeezed Sam’s arm. “Lieutenant, Colonel, help her to the infirmary. I want full monitoring. I’ll be there soon.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the lieutenant said while Cameron nodded curtly.

Janet left to see other patients.

“I’ve got her,” Cameron said.

The lieutenant moved back a little. Sam focused enough to read the name Castillo on her uniform. She was built like Janet, small but tough, with very dark hair.

“Ready?” Cameron asked.

When Sam nodded again, he looped his arm around her waist and lifted. Though she was on her feet again, he held her there for a moment until it was clear to both of them her legs would hold. She still didn’t feel steady, but at least Sam was standing.

Cameron let go of her waist but offered his arm like they were attending a ball. She took it with both her hands and used his support. Castillo trailed behind them with the oxygen tank and her medical kit.

Sam let Cameron lead her where they needed to go and focused all her attention on feeling the baby move. The books said ten kicks in two hours, anything less could be a sign of trouble. Right now, she would settle for just one. Knowing there was a heartbeat had helped a little. Janet was letting her walk to the infirmary so she couldn’t think there was an emergency, but Sam wanted a sign of her own.

Once in the infirmary, Castillo took over. She closed the curtain while she helped Sam into a hospital gown and hooked her up to the monitors and gave her an IV. There was even a fetal monitor with electors that attached to Sam’s belly. Lastly, Castillo switched out the oxygen mask for a nose cannula and replaced the gauze for the gash on Sam’s arm.

As the doctor worked, Sam took a moment to pay attention to herself. She must have thrown up her arm to protect herself because the glass cuts were only on her right side. There were no other marks and definitely no burns of any kind. There had been a force strong enough to knock her flat but didn’t look like it would even leave a bruise.

Sam could see Cameron’s shadow waiting outside the curtain, so she instructed Castillo to open it back up when she was settled.

“You doing okay?” said Cameron in the silence afterward.

This time Sam only shrugged. She was afraid to speak because what she really wanted was to call for Jack, but he wasn’t here and she still couldn’t say who the baby’s father was. Now that she was removed from the immediate danger, she only wanted him to make her feel better. Even if she could speak to him, he couldn’t come to her bedside, couldn’t hold her hand.

“What can I do?” Cameron asked.

She swallowed. “I just want the baby to move.” She was beyond caring about what was appropriate to be sharing at work.

“Is there anything that makes them dance? A friend of mine had a son about a year ago. The baby did somersaults after she ate chocolate. It was like a party trick.”

Sam almost wanted to cry with relief that there was something she could do. “Could you get me some orange juice from the cafeteria?”

The sugar in the juice had worked to wake the baby up at her last ultrasound. The last ultrasound where she had found out she was having a girl and after which Jack had started calling them his ladies and Sam started imaging all the things she would do with her daughter.

Cameron snapped his heels together like he was about to salute. “I’ll get you a whole gallon,” he said in response to her request.

She gave him half a smile. “Just one or two of the little cartons from breakfast should be okay.”

“Yes, ma’am. You’ll be okay on your own?”

She nodded since the person she wanted wasn’t there.

As he left, Teal’c appeared in the doorway and scanned the room. His eyes met hers as he made straight for her.

“Colonel Carter,” he said. His deep voice filled with concern. “What can I do?”

“I don’t think there is anything but thank you.”

He spoke so low the words were more of a rumble. “What of General O’Neill?”

Sam did not do a good job of hiding her shock. “What? Why would you...” she trailed off at a knowing look from him. “How long have you known?”

“I suspected the reason for his departure from command and he confirmed it several months ago. He is very proud that he has sired a child.”

She looked away and blinked back a few tears. If anything happened, she couldn’t bear to even think about it. She was feeling guilty that she had put herself and the baby in this position and that she wasn’t able to tell him. Jack was looking forward to being a father again, and if that was taken away...

Teal’c was watching her. “Sometimes I have difficulty with the politics of your world,” Teal’c said. “I was away from my family for dire reasons, but it seems foolish to keep such important facts hidden for politics. He would want to be here. I do not think undomesticated equines would stop O’Neill from being beside you. Please allow me to notify him.”

If she let Teal’c call Jack, he would come. No doubt. Which was exactly what she was worried about. He would want to know, and he deserved to know; it was his child too. Apart from all that, she desperately wanted his comfort. Rational Sam, who was usually in control, was telling her it was a bad idea, but irrational Sam just wanted him. That was the side winning out.

Shakily, she nodded yes.

He bowed to her and left without another word.

Across the infirmary, she saw Janet was coming towards them.

“Where’s he going?” Janet asked.

“To make a phone call.”

“Good. It’s about time. I was going to suggest it.”

While they had been talking, Janet had already started another exam. There was a lot of nodding and assuring smiles from Janet. Sam trusted her regarding her own health, but couldn’t stop thinking about what Janet had said during the first scan of the baby: obstetrics wasn’t Janet’s specialty. She hated to doubt, but this was her daughter and she was scared.

“Everything is stable,” Janet said as she read the printout from the monitor. “Any pain? Any movement?”

“No pain, but no—” Sam had to pause and swallow again, “—no movement either. Mitchell is getting some juice to wake the baby up.”

“Good idea,” Janet said. “We’ll do an ultrasound after that and just to triple check everything. I’m waiting on a return call from your doctor too. But there are no contractions or bleeding, so I do think everything is okay.”

That made Sam feel a little better.

When she had finished her exam, a nurse brought over a tray with sutures and bandages and Janet got to work patching up Sam’s arm and also adding a butterfly stitch to a smaller cut on Sam’s forehead she hadn’t even realized was there.

“How’s Dr. Lee?” Sam asked while Janet worked.

“He’ll be just fine, no permanent damage.”

That was a small relief too.

Cameron was back with a stack of cartons balanced in his arms. He offered her one and set the others on the table next to the bed. She tore it open and took a few gulps.

There wasn’t much left to do but wait the few minutes it should take for the juice to take effect.

“Anything else you need?” Cameron asked, truly looking like he would do anything.

“It’s under control now,” Janet said.

“Good. I’ll go see what I can find out about what happened,” he said as he left. “I’ll be back later.”

“Cam?” Sam said, and he turned back. She didn’t know how to articulate how grateful she was he had come back for her. She wouldn’t have expected any less, but she owed him. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “No problem.”

“I’ll do a quick round and I’ll come back with the ultrasound, okay?” Janet said.

Sam could hear the sounds of a busy infirmary just outside the little corner where she was set up. She wanted her friend to stay, but she knew the doctor needed to care for all her patients. She got another reassuring shoulder squeeze from Janet when she nodded.

Then she was alone. Once again, all her focus shifted to waiting for the baby to move. She put both her hands against her belly.

“Come on,” she said, “for your mom.”

And she felt it, that one definitive kick. She pushed back on the spot where she felt the foot or maybe an elbow, and the baby kicked again. Her spirit was lifted, and she grinned. For the first time, she believed they were both going to be okay. All the tension she hadn’t realized she had been gripping released. Just as she hadn’t let herself imagine the worst, she hadn’t been picturing everything being okay either. Tears she had been trying to hold back finally slipped over too, but at least they were from joy, not tragedy. Her little girl would be okay.

There were a few more pointed jabs. Sam thought she was starting to learn the baby’s moods. She seemed grumpy at being woken up.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” she told her belly. “But how you slept through that I don’t know.” She laughed a little at herself and wiped away the tears.

“I felt her,” Sam announced when Janet returned.

Janet visibly signed in relief. “I’m so glad. Let’s get a full look, just to be sure.”

The ultrasound revealed no abnormalities, and Sam heard a healthy heartbeat. So that, coupled with what Janet had spoken to Sam’s OB about, took care of the last of her worries. No pain, no bleeding, and the baby were moving; they had ticked every box in the good column. There would still be rest and monitoring in her future.

Daniel and Vala were waiting to say hello when the exam was finished. Sam chatted politely with them, but she was still distracted. Her bedside was turning into a revolving door. When Cameron came back with a preliminary report about what might have happened, she didn’t really listen. Something had caused the shield to expand, which had still been strong enough to break the glass and knock Sam back. What had caused the expansion was still unclear; there would be time to sort that out later.

The infirmary hushed, like something had caught everyone’s attention at the same time. The little group around Sam’s bed noticed too and parted as they looked around.

In the doorway was Jack. He wore civilian clothing and looked pale and panicked. Sam’s heart broke a little for him and what she had put him through.

He saw her at the same moment and beelined straight for her. She just held up her arms to him. He kissed her before he buried against her.

In the background, Janet had appeared and was shooing the others away. They seemed rooted to the floor by their surprise. But it didn’t matter to Sam. The rest of the base didn’t matter anymore. The ogling eyes of her coworkers and other personnel who had to be putting two and two together didn’t matter. All the secrets and precautions seemed so pointless now.

“Goddamnit, Carter,” he said, still holding tightly to her.

“I know—I know,” Sam said, “but we’ll be okay.”

He pulled back so he could look at her without letting go. “Yeah?”

She nodded with a sad smile. “I’ve been cleared by Fraiser, my OB, and an ultrasound. She’s kicking, too.”

He moved his hand to her stomach. “And you?”

“A little banged up and shaken, but I’m okay too.”

“Shaken? Me too. Christ, that was not a fun phone call.”

“I’m so sorry!” She started talking quickly, wanting to make him understand. “I thought I was being careful. There shouldn’t have been any risk. Even if there was, I thought I would be safe on the observation deck, outside the field, but I was still too close.”

“Hey, hey, stop. Not your fault,” Jack said.

She took a steadying breath. “It feels like my fault.”

“You can’t plan for everything.”

She laughed a little at that comment. “A baby wasn’t even part of the plan.”

“No, she wasn’t.”

“You know what else wasn’t part of the plan? You swooping in here. The secret is out.” She gave him another apologetic look, waiting to see his reaction.

“I don’t care if it means I can be here. The game had to end sometime.”

The baby kicked again and Sam couldn’t help still feeling relief at the movement. She moved his hand to the right spot.

“Good kicks,” he said, but he said that every time he felt her moving.

She looked away and fussed with the bedsheet. “I couldn’t feel her for a while. That was the scariest part.” A tiny gasping sob forced its way out of her.

“C’mere,” he said as he let go of her belly and pulled her back into a hug.

They were left alone for a while even after he let go, talking quietly and assuring each other. Janet came by to check on vitals once, but she didn’t interrupt. It was a bubble, Sam knew, that would have to burst at some point.

It was Daniel who did it. He came back after about an hour, but he was alone. Sam liked Vala a lot, but this didn’t seem a conversation to have with someone so new to the dynamic. She would have said the same thing about Cameron, except he had literally pulled her out of danger today so she would have done anything for him.

Jack had taken a stool beside the bed but angled himself to be focused on Sam. Daniel stopped respectfully at the end of the bed, so Jack’s back was mostly to him.

“Jack,” Daniel said.

“Daniel,” Jack answered without turning.

“Don’t make me beg.”

Jack looked to Sam, who shrugged. The secret was out, and there was no point in pretending. Finally, he looked at Daniel.

“I thought it was fairly obvious,” Jack said.

His hackles were up and Sam thought she knew why. The secret had been so jealously guarded that it was hard to imagine how conversations would go now everyone knew. Talking about their relationship openly was like speaking a different language. Their friends would be happy for them, but they had also lied for a year and she let everyone believe the baby’s father was out of the picture. It was hard to know how everyone would react to that, and Jack could be so protective.

“So you two are...an item?” Daniel said.

“Yes, we are,” Sam said, liking his slightly old fashioned turn of phrase. “We didn’t like keeping it from you, but we were trying to work around the protocols.”

“And yes, it’s my kid,” Jack added, unnecessarily in her opinion. “It has been a rather stressful day, so unless you have anything else to add—” He half gestured back towards the exit.

“I was right about unexpected, but you could have told me,” Daniel said.

“We didn’t tell anyone,” Jack said.

“Who else knows?” Daniel asked.

“Well, my family, Fraiser, Cassie, and turns out Teal’c figured it out,” Sam said.

“I’m also assuming the rest of the base knows by now,” said Jack. He glanced back to Sam. “Let the rumor mill spin. I love her, okay?”

Daniel seemed to soften a little, and she could already tell all was forgiven. “Well, I’m happy for you two. If I’m going to add anything, it’ll be congratulations.” He came a little closer and held out his hand.

Jack got up from his stool and shook it. “Thank you, Daniel,” he said.

“Now I will leave,” Daniel said when they let go. “Take care, Sam.”

He left without saying anything else. Jack stayed standing and watched him go. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Maybe he expected more of a confrontation?

She grabbed his wrist to pull him back to her. He sat back down, moving his mouth like the mumbling something.

“In this case,” Jack said clearly, “it’s not our fault he didn’t know. It’s not like anyone has been able to get his attention.”

He was right. Between the preparations for leaving for Atlantis and then that being canceled because of the arrival of Vala, he had been even more preoccupied than usual. She had tried to get Daniel and Teal’c to go out to dinner with them to explain the full situation, but she couldn’t explain why it was a priority so it never happened. But the fact that Jack was using that as a justification meant he was feeling a little guilty. She did too.

“You know what?” Sam said to distract him.

“What?” he said, looking her in the eye.

“I love you too.”


	5. Chapter 5

Even through half-closed eyes, Sam could tell it would be a beautiful day, but she wasn’t ready to face it yet. She was not used to sleeping in, but she was allowing herself the luxury. It was a lot of work to make another person. She was reaching the home stretch with nine weeks until her due date. In other words, it was down to single digits. So, given the choice, staying in bed surrounded by a mountain of pillows beat out just about everything else.

Today especially, she needed to build up her reserves. They were hosting a little party to celebrate all the changes in their lives, to share with friends as a couple.

They had both known it at the time, but Jack turning up in the infirmary after the accident in the lab a month ago had definitely alerted the entire base to the full situation. Colonel Carter was with General O’Neill and they were having a baby. Sam took the second round of congratulations at face value. If people were questioning how long they had been involved, she hadn’t heard about it. Even Jack seemed to have been spared with some more surprising help from the president. It was such a relief to have one less thing to worry about.

The to-do list was long for today. Jack was awake and probably had been for hours, so he hopefully was taking care of most of it. She was happy to lie here until he came to get her or she desperately needed to use the bathroom. Whichever came first.

She shouldn’t have thought about the bathroom because now she had to go. It felt like the baby was sitting on her bladder sometimes. She hauled herself up and off of the bed. In a vain attempt at getting the day started, she took the time to brush her teeth too. But when she was back in the bedroom, the pillows were too inviting, and got right back into bed.

She settled herself in the same position. Her movement seemed to have woken the baby up. She started kicking or maybe stretching. Sam found a foot and pressed the spot. The baby kicked back. This little game had become even more precious since the scare after the lab accident. She had been on medical leave for a week and then went right back to work if a little more paranoid about the experiments they were running. But she didn’t have to worry about any of that at the moment either.

A few minutes later, she heard Jack’s footsteps on the landing. The door opened slowly, but he didn’t say anything. She was on her side with her back to the door, so she had to look over her shoulder to see him.

He leaned against the doorjamb with his hands in his pockets.

“I’m awake,” she said.

“I know—I heard you get up.”

“If that’s a comment on my size...” she teased.

“Never.”

“What are you doing?”

“I dunno, just looking.”

He came closer, flopping on the bed next to her. She put her head back down and tucked in closer to him. He put a hand to her belly, and she had to move it to the correct spot. She kept her hand over his and ran her thumb along the back.

“Looking at what?” she asked.

“You, I guess. Used to have to pretend not to stare.”

“I’m getting harder to miss.”

“Stop it. You’re gorgeous, dammit.”

She laughed a little. He never talked like this. Jack was many things, but a sweet talker wasn’t one of them. “What’s gotten into you?”

“I dunno,” he said again. “Feeling lucky this morning for what we’re celebrating. That we finally got ourselves together.”

He still sounded out of character, but she didn’t mind it. “I’m feeling lucky, too.”

They stayed like that for long enough that she started falling back asleep. She didn’t stop it.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hmm?”

“I want to ask you something.”

“Yes, sir?” She didn’t open her eyes or even stir.

“Sam, this is serious.”

Now, she looked over at him. “Serious?” That was another thing he rarely was.

He pulled something out of his pocket and balanced on her hip. Her gaze shifted to find a small black velvet box sitting there.

Sam breathed in. She was only surprised that he was choosing to ask her now. He had mentioned it the night she had told him she was pregnant, but it hadn’t come up again. For all his acting like a rebel, he was more traditional than he thought, so she knew he would ask someday. Part of her had been waiting for the question for six months.

“Samantha Carter, will you marry me?” he asked.

“Okay.”

He sat up, snatching the box back. She pushed up to sit against the headboard as quickly as she could.

“Okay? Okay! For crying out loud, nine years later and all you say is okay?”

She was laughing and even happier than she had been. Samantha Carter, wife and mother, sounded perfect. Suddenly, she saw so clearly why the roles had appealed to alternative versions of herself. Here with him and their daughter coming soon, nothing seemed better.

“What else is there to say?” she said. “After so long, it seems so easy.”

He took her face in his hands and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him, almost determined to never, ever let go.

But she had to eventually.

He sat back on his heels next to her on the bed and opened the box. She didn’t look at the ring; she was looking up at him. It was all this was hard to believe sometimes.

She thought of the moment she had started to think there was something more about him. It might have been in the ice cave in Antarctica when she had worked so hard to save him. It was not just because she didn’t want to lose a fellow airman or her commanding officer, or even to prevent herself from seemingly being the only person on the planet. She hadn’t wanted to lose _him_. Her overriding thought was to get home. But the thought of getting there and not seeing him in the corridors of the SGC or across the table in a briefing had been unbearable. She had fought for him.

She hadn’t realized what that meant until years later when he experienced a similar choice to stay or go and he had stayed. The feeling had reflected on his face on the other side of a force field, and she had known. There was love or longing or whatever other words they wanted to describe it. It wasn’t one of his men he wouldn’t leave; it was her. He had admitted it aloud a few weeks later, and she had given him permission to let that be the end of it. But it wasn’t the end, no matter how desperately they pretended it was. They had held on to that feeling against all reason to get here.

“It’s not exactly traditional,” he was saying about the ring. “But we’re kinda doing things out of order anyway so I thought let’s skip the big engagement. But if you want that. You say the word and you’ll get the biggest engagement ring and the fanciest wedding, too.”

She focused on what he was holding. Instead of a ring with a single stone, the entire band was encircled with small diamonds set in shining silver. But it was ostentatious. If anything it was understated, more of a wedding band than an engagement ring.

He was waiting to see what she had to say, but before she could speak he started again.

“This might seem like I’m trying to shotgun the wedding here—I swear that’s not it. We have been a family for a long time. You can’t go through what we’ve been through together and not feel that way. Us being together was a new version of that. Baby sorta finalized it. This ring is just to make it official.”

Sam considered his words and how he must have been thinking about them for a long time. He was never this articulate about his feelings. She also thought about the last two times someone had offered her a ring. Not that she wanted to think about those men right now, but the reason she had given the rings back. She and Pete had been such a good match. On paper, they had been perfect, but as she had realized she wasn’t willing to settle for him, she had also realized what he wanted wasn’t the same thing she did. The ring had felt rushed, and the house was a shock.

Jack, on the other hand, knew her better than anyone. The fact she had been expecting the question was a comfort. The fact she knew it didn’t matter if they got married or not was a deep sigh of relief. As he said, the ring was to make things official. It wouldn’t change the core of things. They had been through so much already and they were having a child; they were bound.

The ring and the sentiment behind it fit so well, and he had thought so carefully about where they were at this point. Their future had already been decided; the ring was about their present.

“It’s perfect,” she said.

“I want to hear you say it,” he said. “Say it right.”

For a moment, she pressured her palms to her face to ease the ache of her smiling cheeks.

“Yes, Jack O’Neill, I will marry you.”

At last, he took the ring out of the box. He slipped in on her finger and kissed it. It was like a blessing. Even if she had wanted something different—which she didn’t—she could never say it now. This ring was hers in the same way he was.

He sat back beside her against the headboard and she leaned her cheek against his shoulder.

“You’ve always done this, and it used to drive me crazy,” he said. “You’d leaned on me and I’d let you. Every single time.”

“I never meant to.”

“Which is why I never stopped you. It was only ever when you couldn’t hold your head up anymore.”

“We don’t have to worry about that anymore, do we? You get to look and I get to lean.”

“You happy about that?”

“Very.” She looked up at him.

They kissed. The kiss deepened. He shifted on the bed so they were facing each other and he moved his kisses down her jaw, down her neck to her collarbone. She wanted to purr like a cat. Before she got lost, she tugged at the bottom of his t-shirt. He let go to pull it over his head. Her nightgown buttoned up the front, so he next started feverishly undoing the buttons. When enough were freed, he opened the fabric tantalizingly slow, revealing each part of her with purpose. Shoulder, chest, rounded stomach were displayed like brand new discoveries.

Then a car door slammed uncomfortably close. It was summer, so the windows were open and their bedroom overlooked their driveway.

“Was that?” Sam said, panting a little.

“Why is someone here?”

“Oh God, Cassie! I told her to come straight from work. She offered to help with set up. I didn’t know it would be this early.”

He was getting off the bed, muttering something probably very bad-mannered under his breath. She covered up again and held her nightgown closed.

“Sam, it isn’t early. It’s almost one,” he said for her to hear.

“Really? That explains why I’m so hungry.” He glared at her and gave him a guilty smile. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” She really wasn’t used to sleeping in.

“You will be. Later.” He shot her a devilish look before grabbing his discarded shirt and yanking back over his head. “Get dressed. I’ll make us all lunch. Sandwich okay?”

“Yes, thank you, but no—“

“No cheese.”

He was through the door, still adjusting his clothes, and closing it behind him.

A few seconds later, she heard him outside. “Hey, Cas, we didn’t know what time you were coming, so Sam’s not, um, quite up yet.”

“I should’ve called first. I didn’t know she could sleep in,” came Cassie’s voice.

“Nah, it’s okay.” Only Sam knew that wasn’t entirely true. “You want some lunch?”

The back door shut and she couldn’t make out their words any longer.

Sam got dressed, pulling on a pair of leggings and an extra-large t-shirt that was still stretched tightly across her middle and then braided her hair back. She would get ready for the party later with a new dress that Vala had helped her pick out. The woman would take any excuse to get off base, so when Sam had mentioned none of her clothes fit anymore, Vala was elated to organize a shopping trip.

When she made it downstairs, Cassie was leaning on her elbows on the kitchen island while Jack slathered mustard on a slice of bread. He paused to watch her approach.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Cassie said when she saw Sam.

Sam came closer to hug her. “I’m told it’s the afternoon.”

“It is. Do you want to know what time I woke up this morning? I’m going to tell you. Five o’clock in the morning!”

“Ouch.”

“Was the sun even up yet?” asked Jack.

“It was not,” said Cassie.

“I’m so sorry,” Sam said, holding back a laugh. After a couple of decades in the military, raising before the sun was the norm, but today she slept until noon so she wasn’t going to say anything.

Jack did, though. “Join the military and then come complain to us.”

Cassie looked horrified at the lack of sympathy. “That is what Mom said.”

Jack and Sam both laughed.

It was so natural, and it made Sam’s heart soar. Except for the time Jack was in the infirmary with her, they still hadn’t interacted with many people together as a couple. This party was going to be a grand reveal. It was good to see that it could be so seamless. Not that Cassie really counted as other people.

Jack serviced them lunch while they kept talking. They were waiting for deliveries. The party hadn’t started as anything formal, but as they invited more people, they realized they’d need a few extra things. They were hosting in the backyard, so they were renting a few tables and chairs. Then, they organized food because pregnant or not she wasn’t going to cook and she also wasn’t going to let Jack burn burgers for the thirty people. Since all that was getting delivered, they might as well have someone bring drinks too.

They hadn’t heard from any of the deliveries by the time they finished eating.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to call them,” Jack said and disappeared into the office. He seemed happy to get the chance to burn off a little frustration from being interrupted earlier by speaking sternly to customer service.

He gave Sam’s shoulder a squeeze as he walked by her. She caught a mischievous grin from Cassie at the gesture.

“C’mon,” Sam said before Cassie could say anything, “I want to show you something.”

She pulled herself up from the table and headed back upstairs to the house’s second bedroom with Cassie following.

“The bad news is we had to take over your room,” Sam said.

When Cassie was younger, she stayed with Sam from time to time when Janet needed to be away or work nights. It happened often enough that the second bedroom was reserved for Cassie. Sam had let her pick a bedspread and hang her drawings on the walls. Sam had turned it back into a more traditional guest room years ago. Though, she had saved the art. Now the room was being turned into the nursery.

Sam led the way into the room. She and Jack had decided the blanket that Cassie had bought for the baby was so perfect they would use it for the rest of the nursery. The blanket was navy with a pattern of constellations. The underside was a soft grey. They’d painted the walls the same grey color except for the one behind the crib, which was navy. The furniture was white. Well, it would be, but right now only the crib was assembled. A changing table and a rocking chair were still in their boxes. The guest bed was still in the room, buried under more boxes with other things they would need. Sam had been told she would get the urge to nest, but it hadn’t quite happened yet.

“It’s still a work in progress, but your gift inspired us,” Sam said and pointed to the blanket hanging on the crib.

But Sam used her left hand, and Cassie clocked the brand new ring in an instant.

She gasped so loudly Sam tensed.

“Is that a ring?” Cassie said in a high pitched voice.

Sam looked down at her hand. “Oh, yes.”

She hadn’t forgotten about it. She’d been playing with it under the table the whole time they were downstairs. But she did forget that it would be a big deal to everyone else.

Cassie gave Sam another excited hug. She seemed to be getting a lot of those lately.

“When did he ask? And why didn’t you tell me?” Cassie said.

“Well, today. Just before you got here, actually.”

“How are you always so low key about these huge things?” Cassie shook her head in amazement. “Both of you. Oh yeah, by the way we’re having a baby and oh we’re getting married.”

Sam shrugged. “That’s just how we are.”

“Your homeworld doesn’t know there’s life anywhere else in the galaxy, and yet you travel to other planets for a day job, so I guess this stuff is pretty boring.”

“No, never,” Sam said quickly. Her hands were folded on top of her belly. “What’s happening at home seems bigger sometimes. But maybe the job has something to do with it. I’m used to _not_ talking about things.”

“That I get,” said Cassie.

Sam was sure she did, having been born on a different planet.

“Tonight is about trying to break that habit.”

They cut their conversation short when Jack called up the stairs. “The tables are here!”

Cassie and Sam headed back downstairs again. Jack was standing in the open front door as two beefy men carried folding tables up the driveway.

“Straight to the back, fellas,” Jack instructed.

The men worked quickly to unload and stack everything along the back deck. With that, the afternoon was a swirl of activity. Sam was expressly forbidden from doing any of the heavy lifting, so she directed traffic. It was kind of fun being the bossy one with Jack and Cassie so willing to take her orders.

Most of the tables dotted the yard to give people places to spread out. Jack set up a border of tiki torches to keep the bugs away and to create a little ambiance. He organized the drinks when that delivery arrived. It was a warm day so Sam was grateful for the excuse to be inside for a little while to get the food set up when that finally arrived too.

Unfortunately, by the time they were all satisfied and Cassie left to get changed and pick up Janet, there was barely enough time for Sam to get herself ready.

But as punctual as ever, she sat herself on the wicker loveseat on the front porch at exactly the time they had told everyone. She didn’t expect anyone to be arriving yet, but everything else was ready and she needed to get off her feet if they were going to last the night in the shoes she picked.

It didn’t take long for Jack to join her. He plopped himself on the other half of the seat. She leaned her head against his shoulder and put a hand on her knee.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes, of course. Just a little tired.”

“Want to cancel?”

“Not that tired. I’ll get my second wind.”

“We can lock the doors and put up a sign that says closed in big red letters...go straight to bed.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

“So that’s what you really want.”

“I only want to make you as comfortable as possible.”

“That’s not what you’re suggesting.”

“I’m not suggesting anything at all.” He moved his hand to her belly. “Is she ready to party?”

“She’s going to have to be,” Sam said as the car pulled up and parked.

Daniel and Vala got out a few moments later. Sam and Jack untangled and stood to greet them.

“Sorry we’re a little early,” Daniel said as he came up the porch steps. “Someone didn’t understand the concept of fashionably late.” He pointed at Vala.

“Samantha said it started at seven so we are here at seven,” Vala retorted with hands on hips.

“Besides, you haven’t don’t anything fashionable in your entire life, Daniel,” Jack said.

“It’s all okay. Someone has to be first,” Sam said.

They were the first of many. Nearly everyone they invited showed. Curiosity was a powerful motivator, Sam decided, but she didn’t bother her. It was what she wanted, and she wouldn’t complain about being surrounded by so many friends, all of whom wished her well. The food was delicious, the drinks flowed for everyone but Sam, and everyone was having a good time. She really couldn’t ask for anything more.

Well, her feet were aching. She could do without that.

Sam found a seat at an empty table and put her feet on an extra chair. Leaning back, she rested her hands on her belly again. She just needed a few minutes.

Vala swooped down before she could do more than sigh in relief.

Vala took the seat next to Sam and pulled it closer to talk conspiratorially.

“Now, I haven’t spent much time with this infamous General O’Neill,” Vala said, “but I can tell the man is head over heels in love with you.”

Sam let out a surprised laugh. Not because she thought Vala was wrong, but because Sam was surprised to hear such sentiment from her.

“Is that not the phrase?” Vala said. “Head over heels?”

“No, no, it is a phrase here.”

“Do you think I’m wrong?”

“No, it’s just—what makes you say that?”

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off you all night.”

Sam had hardly talked to Jack since they were both busy hosting. He had caught her eye to check-in, but that had only happened maybe two times.

“He always knows exactly where you are and what you’re doing,” Vala continued. “He wanted to interrupt his conversation to come over here now, but I beat him to it.”

Sam scanned the little crowd and found Jack talking with Teal’c and another officer. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything else. But after only a few seconds, he glanced her way and smiled when they made eye contact.

“See?” said Vala. “I’m always right.”

Sam wasn’t sure what point Vala was making, though it gave her a warm feeling in her chest. It wasn’t a revelation, but she loved that someone else had noticed. She had been so concerned with a scandal that it felt vindicating to prove what was happening was genuine. Even to just one person.

She was still watching Jack. He excused himself from his conversation and moved to the top step of the deck so he was a little above everyone else.

He cleared his throat, and the talk died down. Even out of uniform, he was a commanding presence. He motioned to Sam, and she got up to join him.

“Let her sit!” someone called as she moved to the front of the group.

Everyone laughed.

Sam’s cheeks warmed as she felt all the eyes on her. Even the baby started kicking, responding to her beating heart.

“It’ll just be a minute—I promise,” he said more to her than anyone else. “Most of you know that I am a man of few words, so I will keep this brief. I want to thank all of you for coming and for your reactions to our big news.” He put an arm around her shoulders. “We have one more announcement. I asked her to marry me and I must’ve tricked her at some point because…” She held up her left hand to show off the ring. “She said yes.”

The crowd clapped and cheered, but no one seemed surprised. He kissed her quickly, which brought about another few whoops. She was blushing wildly now. He might even be able to feel the heat from her skin.

“Love you,” he said just for her.

“You too.”

He turned back to the party. “Make sure you all finish the booze since I’m the only one who’ll be drinking it after you leave.”

Everyone laughed again. He stepped off of the deck and offered a hand to help her down too. She didn’t need it, but she took it to have an excuse to hold on to him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part takes place just after 'Ex Deus Machina' (9x07). Thanks for your patience!

The briefing room was quiet when Sam stuck her head in. She had known there wasn’t anything scheduled until later when she made her way up, but things changed quickly at the SGC. She had discovered the room with its comfortable, padded, and high-backed chairs was a great place to work. It also meant she had less distance to waddle when something happened.

And yes, she meant that. Nine months pregnant and the way she moved could only be described as a waddle. She had reached that point where she didn’t know if she was excited to meet the baby or if she just wanted to be done carrying a watermelon under her shirt. Everything ached or was swollen or was both. Walking upstairs required her to catch her breath because of the way her lungs were getting crowded.

She plopped her files on the table and eased herself into a chair. Through the window to his office, she saw Landry glance up. She gave him a small wave, which he returned with a nod and went back to his work. She assumed she was a familiar sight by now.

There was a second motive for choosing her spot today. As usual, Jack had been away. This time to deal with the fallout from the situation with the Trust and with Ba’al’s infiltration of Earth. His position was in place specifically to handle these kinds of things, so there was no way to argue. She hadn’t tried once he had assured her it would only be two or three days. At the man at the top at Homeworld Security, the investigations probably won’t be left to him. He was supposed to be arriving via the Prometheus sometime soon to brief the SGC personnel late in the afternoon. At least she had the reports to keep it from looking like she was waiting for him.

She had worked through about half the stack in front of her when she heard a soft knock on the door that leads to the hall.

Sam looked up, already knowing who she would find. Jack in his dress uniform was standing in the opening. She smiled at him but didn’t get up.

He moved into the room and took the chair next to her, scooting it so his knees were touching hers. Without even looking towards Landry’s office, he kissed her on the cheek. For the most part, they had maintained decorum even though everyone knew by now. But they were alone now, and it was such a small gesture.

“You found me,” she said.

“Always,” he said. “How are you?”

He leaned even closer and gently touched her belly.

“Oh, fine. Tired, big, the usual. Mostly I’m glad you’re back. Did everything go okay?”

“Lots of talking and planning. Who knows if any of it will work. But they’re probably going to want to give you a medal for realizing why the naquadah readings in the building Ba’al tried to use as a bomb were everywhere.”

She had been listening to the radio chatter with Landry, and then Teal’c and Cameron when they’d returned from Dakara.

“I don’t need a medal. It was Mitchell’s idea that prevented anyone from getting hurt, anyway.”

She really didn’t want any praise, but it was good to know she could still make a difference from the sidelines.

“But you deserve it more,” he said.

“You’re biased.”

“Me? Never.” He gave a look of pure innocence.

She reached out to touch his face, but he caught her hand, kissed the back of it, and let her go.

“Will you have to go back after today?” she asked.

“Ah, well, yes and no.”

She straightened up and her heart beat faster. “What does that mean?”

“We have a lead on what could be the cloning facility.”

“Yes?” She could see where he was going with this and she didn’t like it.

“It’s off-world.”

“So?” Yes, this was exactly what she thought.

“So I’m going to join the investigation.”

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s a huge piece of the puzzle.”

“That doesn’t explain why you need to go.” Now she was angry.

“I need to come down from the mountain sometimes,” he said. “I don’t want all the information second hand.”

“You’re going because you can’t delegate?” For all his promises of not missing anything to do with their child, he was leaving her with a whole lot of the work. The pregnancy was all on her, but his constant leaving and coming back wasn’t making things easier. She hadn’t argued because he needed to go, but now he was making the choice himself.

“No,” he said like she was being ridiculous, “I’m going because we’re dealing with Ba’al and I know him better than anyone on this planet. You learn a lot about a person while they’re torturing you.”

“Oh, I see.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What do you see?”

She made a sound of disgust. “Don’t make this about responsibility when you just want to go off for revenge.”

She spun her chair away from him to give herself room to get up, but he grabbed the arm and yanked it back.

“That is not fair,” he said sharply.

For just a moment, she saw torment in his eyes. His jaw was clenched, and he hadn’t let go of her chair.

She closed her eyes for a second and let out a breath. Damn hormones. “You’re right. I—I didn’t mean that. But what’s also not fair is that we’re both going to be parents and you’re running off.”

“I’m not abandoning you, Sam. It’ll be a day, two at most, just like when I go to Washington.”

“It’s _not_ like when you’re in Washington. I can call you and I know you’re safe in Washington.”

“Okay, I wish it was the same. But I can’t send someone else to do this.”

“And I can’t go with you.”

He let go of her chair and took her hand. “There are others who will watch my six. There’s no reason to think this will be especially dangerous.”

“It’s Ba’al.”

He nodded grimly. “It is.”

“You can swear up and down that you’ll come back, but we never have total control over that. We’re doing this amazing thing, but it also scares me a little and I can’t stand the thought of worrying about you too.”

Jack looked away. “In some ways, this was easier the first time. With Sara, I could just leave when the Air Force called. She didn’t know where I was going or what trouble was waiting.”

She didn’t really know what to say to that. They never talked about his first wife. Sam had seen her once after she was with Jack. A friend Jack had served with before joining the SGC had a Fourth of July party last year. Sara and Jack hadn’t been together in over ten years, so Sam hadn’t been nervous about jealousy or resentment, but Sara was a part of Jack’s past that Sam could never reach. Sara had been nicer then she needed to be.

“I know too well,” Sam said.

He locked eyes with her again because she did know too well. She had been there for most of it and had endured her own share of traumas.

He put his arms around her for a moment and let go before anyone could catch them.

“Getting with you was a bad idea,” he said.

She laughed a little and sighed. “We tried to stop it.” She sighed again. “I should have realized this could happen. I overreacted.”

“You reacted the right amount given we are three weeks away.”

“Don’t remind me of that now.”

“I’ll be back long before then! We’ll go away for a long weekend or something.”

Now she laughed. The odds of him taking her for a vacation however short were very small.

“I’m a man of my word,” he said, looking a little hurt.

“The only word I want from you is a promise to come back safely.”

They had both just agreed there was no way to guarantee that, but still, he nodded.

“Promise,” he said, and he kissed her.

Walter entered a few moments later and stopped short.

“Oh, sorry, General, Colonel. I’m to set up for a briefing,” Walter said. He had missed the kiss, but they were sitting intimately close. He had the good sense to not seem too shocked.

“Not a problem, Sargent,” Sam said, already shuffling her report pages together. “I knew I’d get kicked out eventually.”

Jack stood up. “Lunch, Colonel?”

“Yes, sir.” Sam struggled to her feet. Once she was upright, she tugged at the bottom of her uniform jacket. “Let’s go.”

They made their way to the mess, leaving the larger conversation behind them. It wasn’t over. There was a short list of big things they hadn’t figured out yet. They weren’t close to picking out a name, and they hadn’t discussed what they were going to do about either of their careers enough to make any decisions. Any plans for Jack’s retirement had been put on hold with the half-leave that the president had allowed him. She had also tried to avoid thinking about what she was going to do when her maternity leave was over. The question seemed too big.

The mess was too crowded to continue the discussion now. There was always some excuse.

He walked her back to her lab after they finished the meal. She didn’t eat much because there didn’t seem to be a lot of room left for anything but the baby.

“You’ll come say goodbye before you leave?” she asked as he dropped her off.

“Yeah, of course. I gotta remind you what I look like in tactical gear.” He puffed out his chest.

“That is how I like you best.”

“Knew it.” He kissed her on the cheek again and left for the briefing.

She went back to her reports after he was gone, but it was slow going. For someone who was usually laser-focused, Sam wasn’t used to being distracted by her own thoughts. More than once, she caught herself staring off into nothing. But she managed to get it all done.

She didn’t want to start anything new knowing she would be interrupted, so she left her lab and wandered up to command. The halls were busy. It was also getting close to a shift change, so everyone was finishing up their day or just getting one started.

She found Jack coming out of the locker room, booted and suited in all black.

“Well, hello there. I was just about to come to the lab,” he said.

“I wanted to stretch my legs a little and see you off.”

They were both very aware that they were not alone in the passage. He had stopped a respectful arm’s length distance from her. The team who would be joining him on the mission were probably still in the locker room and could emerge at any time. This was not the place for a real goodbye.

“Walk me to the armory?” he suggested.

She nodded and fell into step beside him. The hallway was narrow, so it was only natural for them to be so close together.

The armory was blissfully empty. As he gathered the rest of the gear he would need, she watched him. These were practiced motions. He knew exactly what he wanted, where it was stored, and where to place it on his person. Part of her missed the ritual of preparing for a mission. Nothing calmed the nervous energy like completing the checklist of getting into tactical gear.

She wished there was something as calming for her right now. She’d organized the nursery about three times, but she didn’t have over a decade of practice at that process.

“You wanna come, don’t you?” he asked. He snapped his sidearm into place with a satisfying click.

“It’s hard enough going up a flight of stairs right now.” She was surprised that she hadn’t missed missions as much as she thought she would. Maybe because the team had changed so much in the past couple of years.

“Well, if it was easier, you’d want to.”

“I don’t remember what easier felt like anymore.” She rubbed her belly. “I hear they’re worth it though.”

He moved closer so he could put a hand to her belly too. “They are.”

“Jack?”

“Hmm?”

“I realized I already made you promise to come back safely, but can you do me one more favor? Don’t worry about us. Go through that gate and focus on what’s in front of you. I mean it—don’t let me be a distraction.”

She was giving him permission to compartmentalize. When he talked about Sara, he had seemed to regret his ability to leave her behind. But that she was what she wanted him to do. She didn’t want him to worry about her worrying about him. She wanted him to focus on his mission so he could make it back.

“You were always a distraction,” he said.

“Then, it should be easy without me there.”

“Eyes forward, yes, ma’am.” He smiled like it was a joke, but she knew he meant it.

There came voices from the hallway outside, so they stepped apart. The door opened and SG teams two, three, as well as Cameron and Teal’c appeared in the opening.

“Too late folks,” Jack said as the others spotted him and Sam, “I grabbed all the good stuff.”

The teams groaned in fake annoyance while Jack guided Sam out of the armory.

They didn’t have a lot of time left. The armory was usually the last stop before the gate room. That was where they were headed now, so they arrived first. There were people in the control room, but they were focused on other things.

“I will say one thing,” Jack said when he realized they were alone again, “take your own advice. Don’t worry about me either. I’ve got a lot of experience and good people with me.”

“I’ll try,” she said.

They both knew how impossible these requests were, but it was worth it to try. This was their life; they didn’t work nine-to-five desk jobs, and they didn’t want to.

They didn’t speak; there wasn’t much else to say. She just wanted to take in his presence for as long as she had him.

The teams arrived in the gate room and the last preparations were made for them to disembark.

Landry appeared to give some parting words. “Good luck out there. Come back safe,” he said. “Or you’ll have her to deal with.”

Sam was standing at the back of the room. The group turned to look at who Landry was pointing at. She played along, crossing her arms like a stern teacher. Everyone laughed, but she felt a little heartsick. Still, it was easy to pretend this felt normal.

Then, the gate spun, the wormhole engaged, and the teams moved out. Jack made his way to her instead.

“Gotta go now,” he said and pulled her into a quick hug.

“Take care,” she said into his ear.

“You too.”

He let go of her, turned back to the gate, and went through without looking back. Eyes forward, like he had promised.

Sam waited until the teams were gone and the wormhole shut down. Landry passed by on the way back to the command. For a moment, he looked like he was about to say something, but changed his mind.

She sighed and went back to her lab. Janet was waiting for her there. She was sitting in Sam’s desk chair but hopped up as soon as Sam appeared.

“What are you going here?” Sam asked, hoping her tone sounded friendlier than her words.

“Just wondering what are you doing tonight?” she asked.

“Sorting baby clothes, probably.” Mark had sent a box of hand-me-downs from his daughter. “Why?”

“Because I think we should get dinner.”

“Oh, Janet, thanks, but I’m so exhausted.” Sam dropped into her chair as if to prove her point.

“You pick the restaurant, so we can go anywhere you want. With Cassie back at school, my house is empty too. We could both use the company.”

Sam was too tired to argue. “Alright.”

There wasn’t much time left in the workday, so they met in the parking lot after they had clocked out.

Despite Janet’s claim that Sam could pick whatever restaurant she wanted, with almost no discussion they went to one of their usual places. It was a Mediterranean place almost midway from both of their houses. Not only was the food amazing—there had this fried dough that was heaven—but it was also a cozy place with heavy curtains lining some walls, which meant conversations didn’t travel far. If they got a table in the back, they could at least speak a little more openly. That was always important most of the time they just wanted to vent about work after a long day.

Though, Sam didn’t have much to say as they were seated. She was still trying to collect her thoughts.

It was a weeknight, so they got a table right away. Sam suspected they would have gotten a table right away regardless because of the way the hostess kept glancing at her. She wanted to promise she won’t go into labor quite yet.

The hostess then hesitated before handing over a wine list, looking back and forth between Sam’s pregnant belly and Janet.

Sam motioned for her to leave it. “We’ll take it—she can have a glass of wine at least.”

She laughed good-naturedly and set the extra menu on the table. Janet didn’t pick it up though.

“I meant it,” Sam said. “I don’t mind.”

“I’m being supportive,” Janet said.

Sam wasn’t sure how forgoing the single glass of wine each they usually had when they went out for dinner was being supportive, but she appreciated the gesture.

They talked about work as they decided what to order. They came here often enough that they had usual orders so it didn’t require a lot of work.

The topic turned to Cassie and Janet’s empty house when the food arrived. Between mouthfuls, Janet was lamenting how quiet it was and how that always sunk up on her.

“I only really noticed it right after she moved in,” she was saying. “I had lived on my own for a few years at that point and having another person around was a bit of an adjustment, especially someone with a kid’s energy. I didn’t miss the quiet, but I do remember letting out of a couple of sighs of relief after turning her lights off. But she goes away and I miss it so much.”

“I’m about to kiss almost all quiet goodbye,” Sam reminded her.

“I’m not complaining—I promise. Just noticing that I didn’t miss my old life as much as I thought you would.”

“I have been told they’re worth it,” Sam said, repeating the half-hearted joke she had made to Jack earlier.

“God, yes, but it is a balancing act. I won’t lie about that, and I didn’t have to handle some of the tough times.”

“I don’t know about that. Retro-viruses are pretty tough.”

“There were some extra challenges, too.”

“How did you do it?” Sam said. She was almost embarrassed to be asking because it made it so clear she didn’t have a clue what she was doing.

“I’m not sure I’m the right person to ask,” Janet said slowly. “Cassie had a different mother for the years she was most dependent.”

Right. Janet had always been able to leave her daughter alone in a room and not worry things would implode.

“But the key is that you don’t do it alone,” Janet continued. “I always had you, and O’Neill, the rest of the SGC. General Hammond still sends her a birthday card. Did you know that? There’s family, too.”

“My mom died when I was a teenager,” Sam said with a frown.

“Oh, Sam, I knew she died when you were young, but I didn’t realize it was that young. I’m so sorry.”

Sam chewed on her lip. She wasn’t sure why she had brought that up.

But Janet did. “Is that what you’re worried about? What happens if you don’t come back?”

Sam gave her a strained look. “Isn’t it always?”

“But it’s an even worse thought with a kid, right? Especially when you know the feeling?”

Sam nodded.

“Well, when I got hurt...” Janet was trying to sound matter of fact, but her voice trailed off.

Sam looked away. That had been a horrible day and a brutal few weeks afterward. Almost a year and a half ago now, Janet had been hit with a staff blast while on a rescue team. She had come so close to dying that it was still scary to think about. Cassie had stayed with Sam for three weeks, so she didn’t have to be alone while Janet recovered.

“I don’t like talking about that,” Sam said.

“You and me both, but I have a point.” She sighed like she was preparing for something. “I knew I didn’t have to worry about Cassie. I knew whatever happened, she would at least be taken care of. I fought like hell to get back to her, but if my body hadn’t been up to the task, I knew she’d be safe. Because of you. Every part of me wants to do that for your daughter if—and I stress if—it’s needed. If something happens to you _and_ Jack, I will be there.”

“But is it fair to ask you or anyone to do that, if I put myself in harm’s way?” Sam felt close to tears. Damn hormones.

“Maybe it would be too much if you were reckless. But you go to the front line to protect,” she took a quick look around to make sure no one was listening, “the planet. Your situation is a little more extreme, but I think every parent who’s in the military or a police officer has to face this same question. Have you talked to Jack about it?”

“I think he wants it to be up to me. He’d never make that kind of choice for me. I’d never make that choice for him. I didn’t even ask him to stay today. I was upset he was leaving, but I didn’t make him stay.”

Sam felt this she should have this conversation with Jack, but there was a relief in talking about it with another mother, one who had all the facts. And it was a decision she had to make for herself. There was room for discussion with him, but she had to figure it out first. She wondered where she and Jack would be right now if they haven’t gotten pregnant, without something so huge to disrupt the status quo. She hadn’t really thought they could just keep their relationship a secret forever, but there had been nothing to make them open up either. Well, the evidence was pretty obvious now.

Sam shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable around her belly.

“You both understand duty,” Janet said.

“I guess we do.” Sam put a hand to her belly. “We just have to shift the priorities.”

“You also don’t have to have the answers right now. You can figure it out as things come up.”

Sam genuinely hadn’t thought about that. She had been told that a mindset for having a new baby was one day at a time, but that could apply to her career too.

“There will always be someone there for her—she’ll never be alone,” said Janet. “Whether that’s me or your team or your family. Whoever you pick.”

The things Sam had been trying to avoid thinking about over the past few months were crystallizing themselves. She recognized the feeling and knew not to force it. Good ideas had to come organically most of the time. But she was sure of one thing.

“I do want it to be you,” she said. “Would you be her godmother?”

This wasn’t an impulsive decision. Sam and Jack had talked it over, even if they hadn’t finalized the choices. They hadn’t finalized a lot of things, and that was the issue. Well, someone needed to start making decisions. Janet was an obvious choice for Sam. She was a wonderful mother already, and she understood the Stargate program. Janet could raise their daughter to have the values Sam and Jack would want to instill, and Janet could also explain why her parents hadn’t come back. Mark seemed like the other option because he was a blood relative, but he had never understood why there were causes worth sacrificing for.

Janet seemed to melt a little as she put a hand to heart. “I would be honored. I won’t be needed for anything but the usual spoiling, but you can count on me.”

“I know I can—I always have. I can’ tell how much better I feel after talking to you tonight.”

Janet squeezed Sam’s arm as it rested on the table. “Good. Then I accomplished my mission.”

Sam narrowed her eyes. “Did Jack put you up to this?”

“He may have stopped by before he left and asked me to check in on you. The girls’ night was my idea, however.”

Sam shook her head as if she was offended, but she was thinking how lucky she was.

She felt more like herself for the rest of the evening. Before they left, she thanked Janet for getting her to go out. The company was excellent, and she hadn’t worried about Jack almost the entire time. Almost. It was still there, but in the background instead of center stage.

That changed when she was alone and trying to fall asleep a few hours later. But then the baby had to remind her that wasn’t actually alone by doing what felt like a dance lesson minutes after she got into bed.

She managed to get in a few good hours, thankfully, so she didn’t feel dreadful when her alarm went off.

She got up, wrapped one of Jack’s flannels around her shoulders, and went downstairs to get the coffee started.

At the bottom of the stairs, she glanced into the living room and saw a leg hanging over the arm of the couch. A broad smile spear across her face as she moved closer. Jack was back. Again. He was passed out on the couch, looking like he had fallen asleep where he had landed. He was breathing deeply with his mouth open. It wasn’t the most dignified position, but she thought she fell a little more in love with him.

She perched on the edge of a cushion, which would have been difficult even without her belly. He jerked awake as his weight tipped.

“You’re back,” she said softly. “Why didn’t you come to bed?”

He rubbed his face vigorously with both hands.

“What time is it?” he asked through his fingers.

“A little after seven.”

He groaned and dropped his hands. “Because I only got home about an hour ago. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

He hooked his arm around her hip and pulled her a little more onto the couch. She leaned against him.

“How was the mission?” she asked.

“Total bust. Absolutely nothing there.”

“I’m sorry you didn’t find anything,” she said.

“No, you’re not.”

“Okay, I’m not because it means you’re home now.” She ran a hand through his already spiky hair.

She was on the verge of saying something about how much she hated that they kept having to say goodbye, but stopped herself. That wasn’t helpful, especially with the decision she had made last night.

“You make out okay?” he asked.

“Yes, Janet and I went out to dinner. It got me thinking.”

“Uh oh.”

“I want to go back to SG-1 after my maternity leave is over.”

“Okay,” he said slowly, not making the connection. “I always thought you would.”

“I’m also going to stop pestering you about retirement.”

“You’re not pestering.”

That was good to hear; she never wanted to become a nagging partner. But it wasn’t the point.

“The galaxy doesn’t stop because we’re having a baby,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll be able to stay on the sidelines and I doubt you will be able to either. We have to keep doing our jobs. This means we’re going to be apart a lot more than most couples, so I want us to make an agreement. First, we have to try not to both be away at the same time. It’s not always in our control, but one of us should always try to be here for her.”

He was nodding. “What else?”

“This is non-negotiable. We have to be here when we are together. We both have to get better at leaving work at work. The galaxy doesn’t stop, but neither will our daughter. She’s going to grow up and we can’t be paying attention to something else when she’s in front of us. At work, we focus on work, and at home, we focus on our family. Deal?”

“Definitely,” he said with a smile that seemed to say he couldn’t believe what he was looking at. He loved her; he’d give her just about anything she wanted.

“Good. Is there anything else you want to add?”

“Nothing. I think it’s a good strategy. One I didn’t keep to last time, but things are different now. Hopefully, I’m older and wiser.”

“Older, at least,” she teased.


	7. Chapter 7

‘Jack is definitely a man of his word,’ thought Sam as she looked up a stunning cabin through the front window of the car. 

He had actually taken her away for a long weekend. She had assumed it was just a casual comment to make up for going off-world. But no, he had actually planned something. He had rented the cabin near one of the ski resorts two hours outside Colorado Springs. There wasn’t any snow yet, but the air was crisp and chilled. He had promised lots of time curled up in front of a fire. With one week until her due date, Sam wasn’t in the mood for any activity that didn’t involve sitting. 

The house was already lit by an enormous chandelier, greeting them with a cheery hello in the darkness. He had picked her up after work, so the sun had already set. They had stopped for burgers at an old-fashioned diner, too. 

He opened her door and offered a hand. She needed it. The drive was sloped, enough that there wasn’t any way for her to get up the momentum to squeeze out of the opening. 

“Easy now,” he teased as she pulled on him. 

She laughed sarcastically at him, but only once she had both feet on the pavement. 

He kissed her on the cheek and went to get their bags out of the trunk. She continued to stare at the house. 

When he had laid out the plan, she had pictured something like his cabin, something rustic. This was a fancy house with a cabin motif. It was an A-frame style with huge, shining windows with what had to be an amazing view. There was a deck that wrapped around the entire first level and she could see another off the second level in the back. 

He led the way into the house and the inside was even grander than she had been imagining. Even the lock was state-of-the-art with a code instead of keys. 

“Welcome, ladies,” he said with a grand bow, speaking to her and the baby as if he were a butler. 

They were standing in an entrance hall with three staircases. Two led up on the left and the right, presumably to the bedrooms. The other led down into a sunken living room and kitchen. The entire back of the house was a pane of glass for the view. The only interruption was a two-story-tall fireplace. There was a huge, plush sectional couch that could probably seat a dozen people. The kitchen looked immaculate and absolutely top of the line. 

“Jack,” she said as she stared around, “This place is amazing.” 

“Oh, it gets better.” 

He pointed up the left staircase. She went first. It had been a long time since she had seen her feet, so she was a little unsure on the open steps, but she knew he was right behind her. At least the baby’s position seemed to have shifted a couple of days ago, dropping further down so it had been easier to breathe with the extra space for her lungs. 

At the top, there was only one door which led to the biggest bedroom Sam had ever seen. The bed had to be at least a king-sized, maybe even bigger. Along with the usual bedroom furniture, there was also a sitting area, and probably still enough floor space for ballroom dancing. 

“Keep going,” he prompted as he set their two small duffle bags by a dresser. 

There was another door that led to a huge closet, a dressing room, and then into the master bathroom. The bathroom was just as luxurious as everything else. It had a vanity with two sinks that stretched the length of the room. A massive glass shower with too many showerheads to count filled the adjacent wall. The last side was taken up by a bathtub that was almost a swimming pool. There were two steps down to the bottom and it was long enough for several people to stretch out. 

“Holy Hannah,” she said under breath at the sight of the tub. It tempted her to undress right now and climb in. Being weightless seemed so appealing. 

“And that is why I pick this place,” he said, pride beaming from his entire being.

“I want to try out that tub right now,” she said. “Care to join me?” 

He looked pained. “We can’t.” 

“No?” she said flatly, waiting to decide whether to be hurt or offended. 

“I want to.” His eyes unfocused as if he was envisioning it. “But...”

“What?” 

“Sex brings on labor.” 

Sam laughed a little. “That’s an old wives tale, isn’t it?” 

He cleared his throat. “Not in my experience.” He continued when she kept staring at him. “Sara was past her due date, we,” he coughed again, “tested the theory, and a couple of hours later we were on the way to the hospital.” 

“I see. So, no sex on our getaway weekend? No sex on what could be our last weekend before our baby arrives?” She took a step toward him with each question until she pressed against him. 

“You’re killing me, Sam,” he said but didn’t move away. “Here’s my counter. Do you want to have a baby this weekend?” 

She relented. She did not want to give birth two hours from home, a hospital with the security clearance to know her full history, or Janet who had promised to be there. They had no control over when it would actually happen, but it was counterproductive to actively take part in something that could bring on labor. 

She sighed in disappointment but said nothing else. 

“Soon as we get home. Cross my heart,” he said. “This weekend is about minimal effort. Feet up. Let me bring you everything you need.” 

“I guess I can live with that.” 

“Good. What do you want now? You can still take a bath—it’ll just have to be alone.” 

“It’ll save it for later.” It didn’t seem as much fun without him. 

They unpacked their bags. Their stay was so short, they each barely filled a drawer, which seemed absurd given how much space there was. Then Jack left her alone to change. He wouldn’t be to keep his hands off her if he stayed. 

Because everything in the place was grand and huge, there was a large mirror in the dressing room. It wasn’t the first time she had looked at herself, but the full-length mirror in her closet was about a quarter of the size, so the scale was different. 

She could hardly remember what life was like before being pregnant, but the way she looked still somehow caught her off guard. She was so round. Every part of her, not just her belly. Her chest seemed unwieldy and she could even see it in her cheeks. Pregnancy had made her hair longer, thicker, and glossier too. It was past her shoulders when not put up in accordance with regulations, making her seem so feminine and sensual now it was down. It was such a change to how she thought of herself, but she also understood why Jack would have a hard time keeping himself to himself. And it was his baby. That had to do something too, especially as he was on the older side to have a new baby. 

The baby kicked, and she winced a little. Her kicks weren’t quite as strong anymore because, as the doctor put it, there wasn’t much room left, but they were strong enough. They seemed to have more attitude too. Right now she seemed to be telling her mother to stop staring at herself. Sam pressed on the spot and got another kick back. She smiled as she turned away from her reflection. 

She put on her leggings, t-shirt, and one of Jack’s flannels. There was no chance of getting it buttoned, but it would keep her arms warm. 

Back downstairs, she found Jack sitting on the floor in front of a roaring fire. 

“It’s gas,” he said. “I was all prepared to build it myself, but it’s just a switch.”

“This house is crazy,” she said. “How did you find it and how much is it costing?” 

“It was on the website. I saw the pictures and knew we needed to check it out. As for the cost, we’re only staying two nights and it’s still the off-season. And it doesn’t matter, anyway. This is our last celebration before the little lady gets here and you deserved to relax.” 

“This is one of the most outrageous and extravagant things anyone has ever done for me. Thank you.” 

“You deserve it, babe,” he said as he got up, dusted his hands off, and moved into the kitchen. She followed and noticed there was a bottle of champagne and two delicate flute glasses waiting on the island. “It’s sparkling cider,” he added before she could comment. “We need something to officially start our vacation.” 

He had thought of everything. She had meant what she said before. No one had ever treated her to something so special. She got gone on nice trips before, but she had always been part of the planning. No one had ever surprised her in so many ways. Because it was a surprise that it was coming from Jack too, a man who usually seemed the happiest sleeping in the dirt on a mission. But she had learned very early on that he wasn’t quite as blustery as he pretended to be. 

The cork popped, and he poured the cider into the glasses. He handed one to her and held up the other. 

“To being able to use that bathroom as often as you want until Sunday,” he said. 

She laughed and tapped her glass against his. “Cheers.” 

They took their sips. It wasn’t quite the same thing as real champagne, but it was close enough. 

She put any worries about the cost out of her mind. They so rarely took the time to spend more than the bare minimum of what they earned. If this was their last vacation before parenthood really began, she would enjoy it the way he wanted her to. 

“The bubbles are going to wake her up, aren’t they?” he asked. 

“Probably.” 

He took her hand to lead her back to the living room. He settled himself in the corner of the huge sectional and stretched out his legs in front of him. He then pulled her down, so he was behind her, nestled between his knees. She leaned back against and he rested his chin on her shoulder. He was still holding his glass in one hand, but the other he put on her belly. She moved it to the right spot and took another sip. 

Sure enough, after a few minutes, the baby started moving. 

“Good kicks,” he said. 

Sam closed her eyes and just leaned into him. They stayed like that for a long time. She listened to the fire and only opened her eyes to make sure she didn’t spill her cider when taking another sip. 

“What do you think she’ll be like?” she asked after a while and the baby had settled back down. 

It was a question she wondered about all the time but hadn’t voiced it aloud. 

He took a moment and finally said, “Tall.” She laughed. That was both a serious answer and not an answer. He was also very good at finding loopholes. He continued, “Hopefully, she’ll get your brains.” 

“And your kindness,” she said. 

She felt him smile behind her. “If you say so. She could get that from you too. She has to be tough as nails.” 

“Stubborn?” she asked. 

“Probably. But I meant the good kind of stubborn. The kind that brings you home no matter what, that keeps you working until the last second and the job is done.” 

Sam liked that description of a quality both of them had. “Blonde or brunette?” 

“Blonde with your blue eyes.” He didn’t have to think about it. 

“You sound so sure.” 

“I just picture it better. It doesn’t matter, of course.” 

“And what about a name?” 

“Ah, so this is what you were getting at,” he said. 

There had been an ongoing conversation about how they had not discussed any real options. They kept talking about how they needed to talk about names. 

“Not specifically,” she said. “Just imagining things.” 

“You have a list, don’t you? Where is it?” 

“Yes, in my bag. But we don’t have to do it now.” He started to move. “No. Don’t get up. I’m so comfortable.” 

“Well, my ass is falling asleep so I have to move, anyway.” 

She shifted so he could get up and then scooted back to take his place. Once he was standing again, he stretched and let out an exaggerated groan. She scowled at him and he winked as he went upstairs. 

He was back in a minute with the paper. It had been a duplicate page of a mission report. She had been distracted during the debriefing. She’d torn it out when the meeting was over and folded it to fit in her pocket. 

He sat back down in front of her this time and pulled her feet onto his lap. With a flourish, he unfolded the list and read silently. 

“Carter, this is an odd collection of names,” he said. 

“They were just a few ideas. I’m not set on anything.” She was suddenly a little embarrassed. 

“Valentina?” he asked.

“Valentina Tereshkova was the first woman in space. She was a hero to me growing up.” 

“That’s sweet, but she’s Russian. Are the rest all damn scientists?” 

They were, and the entire list seemed silly now. She snatched the page away from him. “At least I tried something.”

“Valentina O’Neill is something alright,” he said with a laugh. 

“When did we decide her last name is going to be O’Neill?” 

His face went slack. “I guess we didn’t.” He paused. “But I would like it to be. I’d like yours to be too, by the way.”

She blinked at him. Changing her name after they got married had never crossed her mind. “You would?” 

“Yeah, but I won’t pressure you. I’m just saying I would like our family to have the same name.” 

“Why does it have to be O’Neill?” 

“You want me to be Carter?” 

“How about O’Neil with one L?” 

“Now you’ve gone too far!” They were both smiling again. “How about middle name Carter, last name O’Neill? I’m not opposed to the hyphen, but I always thought that was a lot of name for one person.” 

He was so much more traditional than he thought he was. She had the same thought when he had proposed. He wasn’t doing it out of some obligation, but he wanted things done how they were supposed to be. Marriage, letting the baby’s last name be O’Neill, they seemed like building a family, not giving anything up so she didn’t mind. She’d have to give more thought to changing her name, however. 

“No hyphen is fine with me,” she said. “I want to talk about these things. Don’t assume.” 

“Makes an ass out of you and me,” he muttered. 

“You’re already an ass,” she said brightly. Now he scowled at her. “A lovable ass.” 

“That’s better.” 

They talked for a long time. Maybe not so long by most people’s standards, but Jack wasn’t often such a talker. They kept considering names and imagining who she might be and what she might do. 

Sam’s eyes got heavier as it got later, but she didn’t want to break the spell. Finally, he patted her on the leg. 

“C’mon, bedtime,” he said.

“I don’t want to move.” 

“I know this is a comfortable couch, but I bet that bed is even better.” 

That was a good point, so she struggled to her feet and headed for the stairs. He grabbed their glasses and went into the kitchen, pausing to flip the switch to turn off the fire. 

She had reached the landing with the entrance when a tightening of her muscles sent pain across her body. She let out a small noise that was half surprise and half a wince. 

He was raising the glasses, but the water shut off immediately. “Sam?”

“I’m fine,” she called back. 

She stayed where she was for a moment, not wanting that to happen again while she was on the steps. He came rushing to her as he wiped his hands on his pants. 

“What was that?” he asked. 

“Nothing. Braxton Hicks,” she said to reassure them both. 

“Are you sure?” 

No, she wasn’t sure because she had never had a baby before, but she had been having false labor pains for weeks. This was just a little stronger than she had become used to. She didn’t say any of that to Jack. The baby wasn’t due for another week and she didn’t want anyone to worry. 

“It just caught me off guard,” she said. “I’m fine.” 

“Okay,” he said slowly. 

She moved up the stairs while he watched until she was through the bedroom door. 

She took her usual evening shower, and it exceeded all expectations. A digital panel on the wall selected the water temperature and showerheads. She picked the one directly overhead to make her feel like she was in some kind of rainforest. She had brought her own toiletries, but there were already little sample sizes waiting like in a hotel. By the time she was ready to get out, her fingers were pruny, but she was relaxed and smelled like lavender. Even having a couple more Braxton Hicks didn’t seem to interrupt the mood. 

To be respectful and not tempt him, she got dressed in the bathroom before going back into the bedroom. 

He was sprawled out on the bed. 

“I want one of those showers,” she announced. 

“Not the tub?” 

“Both.” 

He sat up and rested on his elbows. “I think just the shower is as big as our whole bathroom.”

“We’ll just clear everything else out. We don’t need a sink, do we?” 

“Or a toilet?” 

“Hmm, I guess there is a flaw in the plan.” 

She sat down next to him and sank a couple of inches into the mattress. It was about the softest bed she had ever been on, and she sighed. 

He got up to take his turn in the bathroom with a shake of his head. “You want the bed now too?” he asked. 

“Yes, please.” 

She moved back so she could settle against the pillows on the headboard. She then pulled her hair in the loose braid she liked to sleep in. He seemed to be taking forever. 

She turned off the light on the side of the bed she had claimed and wiggled under the covers. This bed was also exceeding her expectations. It was huge and soft and had enough pillows to support every part of her. She couldn’t help but close her eyes, though she was still waiting for him to join her. She could still fall asleep in his arms, even if nothing else was going to happen. 

The other light clicked off, and his weight shifted the mattress as he came to her. He wrapped his arms around her so they were sharing the same pillow. She kissed his arm and curled closer. 

She drifted off quickly, and those were the only good hours of sleep she got the rest of the night. If the baby wasn’t kicking, she needed the bathroom or was just uncomfortable. She was restless, and he had rolled away from her in his sleep and stayed that way. Around sunrise, she gave up, took a book downstairs, and stretched out on the couch. 

She read a few pages but still could not find a comfortable position. Though, eventually, she must’ve dozed off because the next thing she knew, he was standing over her and the sun was fully up. 

“Damn,” he said quietly, “I didn’t realize you were sleeping. I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s okay,” she said with a yawn. 

“Rough night?” It had to be bad for her to leave him. 

She nodded. “That is a very nice bed, but it’s not our bed.” 

“You should’ve woken me up. I would’ve kept you company,” he said. 

“So we’d both be exhausted? I need you to be alert, to wait on me.” 

“Yes, ma’am.” 

He made her breakfast and then they went on a walk around the neighborhood. They didn’t go very far or very fast, but it was fascinating to see the other houses. They were all big and grand, but some even bigger and grander than the one they were renting. 

He had a few suggestions for what to do when they got back, but she shook her head. She just wanted to lay back down. So, she reassured him she was okay and went back into the bedroom. 

Sam had never been the kind of person who took naps. There were even horror stories from when she was little about refusing nap time. She wasn’t trying to sleep, just staying horizontal with all the pillows supporting anywhere that ached, which was difficult because most of her seemed to hurt at least a little. 

Instead of helping, it dawned on her that the ache was getting worse and it was coming in slow, but steady waves. It was almost idiotic how long it took her to realize what that meant. She watched the clock. The waves were coming every seven minutes. 

Calmly, she got up again and went to find Jack. She didn’t see him right away. She called his name. There was movement on the deck and he popped his head in through a screen door. 

“How are you doing?” he said. 

She didn’t know how to answer that question. It seemed she took too long to consider. He came inside and moved towards her. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked. 

“Well, I think I might be in labor.” 

He blinked. “You think?” 

“I might be having contractions.” 

He spoke a little louder, “Might?” 

“It’s more like cramps, but it’s happening close to every seven minutes.” 

“But first-time moms usually go late.” 

She raised her hands in a shrug. “It seems to be happening now.” 

“For crying out loud,” he said with a thousand-yard stare. 

“Jack, please.” She was stoic, but one crack in the wall was going to bring the whole thing down. Panicking wasn’t going to change the fact she was in labor a week early. It was happening; they had to deal with it. 

He shook his head once. “I’m here. What do you want to do?” 

“I want to go home,” she said. “You said it last night—” She stopped to take a breath while there was another wave of pain, the strongest so far, but it hardly registered on her threshold. “I don’t want to give birth here. I want to do it where we planned it.” 

He was looking increasingly worried. “That was definitely a contraction.” 

“Thanks for the intel, sir.” 

“Giving birth in an unfamiliar hospital is better than on the side of the road.” 

“Agreed, but I don’t think we’re there yet. If we leave soon, we could get home before we even need to go to the hospital. We could have hours and hours.” 

“Famous last words,” he said and started back up the stairs. 

“Where are you going?” 

“To pack.” 

Twenty minutes later, he was helping her back into the car while on the phone with the rental company to explain why they were leaving and that they hadn’t cleaned the house the way they were supposed to. 

He got into the driver’s seat as he hung up and tossed his phone into the cup holder. 

“There’s a fee for not doing the cleaning, but they’re going to refund us the nights we didn’t use,” he said as he backed down the driveway. “Seemed to think that labor was a good excuse.” 

“That was nice of them.” She looked back at the house as they pulled away. “It’s a shame I didn’t get to use the tub.” 

He let out a short laugh. “Kinda the least of my worries right now.” 

She breathed out as she felt another small contraction. She had to agree with him again, but they still had plenty of time. 

An hour after that, Sam was regretting her decision. It wasn't _might_ be in labor anymore. She was definitely in labor, riding each contraction like a wave as they moved beyond even what she could handle silently. She had to hum or groan with each one and close her eyes against Jack’s nervous glances. 

She was also fighting the urge to pace. The fact she had to stay in the passenger seat was agonizing. The seatbelt seemed more like a noose than a safety device. 

Jack was doing his best. He was driving above the speed limit and keeping his comments to a minimum. He was worried, the energy rolled off him, but at least he didn’t say anything out loud. Talking about it would not help. Above anyone else in the universe, she was aware the contractions were getting stronger and closer together. There had to still be time. 

They passed a sign for Colorado Springs. 

Another contraction. Then another. 

“Sam, those were five minutes apart,” he said. 

“I am not giving birth in the car. Stop watching the clock and drive.” 

Another contraction came a few minutes after, and she groaned through the entire thing. 

“Don’t push,” he warned. 

She hadn’t been, but she didn’t think she could have stopped herself if she had. “I’m not in control of this,” she said with a waver in her voice. 

“Hey,” he said, hearing the catch, “I’m sure it’s scary—I can’t even imagine—but everything is going to be fine. I’ll get you there.”

She didn’t answer. He would get her to the hospital, but labor was hurting more than she had thought it would, and it felt like her body had turned on her. Not only because of the pain but because she was early. That panic had also been growing with the pain. 

They turned off the highway. 

“Why don’t you call Fraiser?” he suggested. “She can meet us there.” 

They still had to get to the other side of the city, but it was a distraction at least. She used his phone since it was in the cup holder from his call to the rental company. 

Janet picked up after the second ring. “Jack? Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation?” 

“It’s Sam. We’re coming back.” 

“Everything okay?” 

“It’s happening.” 

“Now?” She sounded surprised. 

“Now.” Sam had to wait for another contraction to answer; Janet waited patiently on the line. “We’re cutting it close,” she said. 

“I’m coming. Don’t have too much fun without me.” 

“Janet?” 

Sam had been able to the sounds of Janet rushing around through the phone, but they stopped. “Yes, honey?” 

“What does it mean that she’s early?” Sam said. Somewhere she had read exactly what it meant, but she couldn’t remember. 

“Probably nothing. Thirty-nine weeks is full term. I doubt there’s anything to worry about.” 

“Okay, thank you.” 

“See you soon.” 

Sam ended the call. “How much longer?” she asked Jack. 

“Ten minutes,” he said. 

She had two more long, powerful contractions by the time the car came to a stop in front of the emergency room entrance. 

Faced with actually having to stand up, Sam didn’t want to get out of the car. The need to pace had disappeared now that it felt like the baby was between her legs. The distance between the lot and the door seemed insurmountable.

He was already out of the car and coming around to her side. He pulled open her door and held out his hand. 

She pivoted in her seat but stopped short of standing. “I can’t,” she gasped. 

“You can—you have to.” She shook her head. “You want a wheelchair?” he asked. 

Jack would have to leave her to get it. Things were moving so fast now, there was no way she wanted to be left alone even for a minute. 

“Don’t leave me,” she said. 

“I won’t, but then you’ll have to walk. We have to decide quickly. The kid is on her way—she’s ready.” 

“But I’m not,” Sam said without meaning to. 

“Sure, you are. You’re always prepared.”

“How do you get ready for this?” 

“You just do.” He kissed her on the forehead. “C’mon, we have to make it in the building at least.” 

“I don’t think I can stay on my feet if the next one comes.” 

“Then, lean on me,” he said calmly. “C’mere.” 

He reached into the car, hooked an arm around her waist, and pulled her arm over his shoulders. With his support, she rose to her feet just as another contraction began. Her legs started to slowly give out, but he held her up. 

“Breathe, Sam, just breathe. I’d got you. I’m right here,” he said gently. 

She found her legs as the pain passed. “Thank you,” she said absently. 

“Let’s go, Carter. Walk,” he said, all his softness gone. 

It wasn’t cruel, but it was an order, and the part of her that had followed Jack’s orders for years responded without the rest of her realizing it. She walked. 

They made it to the entrance. The triage nurse took one look at them and ushered them through while calling to colleagues. 

“Hey,” said Jack in her ear, “you ready to meet our daughter?” 

She smiled as best she could through gritted teeth. “Yes, sir.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello dear reader, I want to take a movement to apologize for the delay of this part, especially given how quickly I was posting them before. Like so many of us in these crazy times, life got, well, crazy. The day after I posted chapter 7 I found out I was getting laid off after naively thinking I was safe. Because of this, I had to move to a different state to do back to my parents'. I was actually able to find a new job in yet another state. Now I'm moving again and having to figure everything out from a distance. I also switched my focus to a NaNoWriMo project. I'm not making excuses, just explaining where I've been and that I have not abandoned this story. There are still two more chapters in the works. I just hope you don't mind that they will probably take a little longer. Enjoy!

Barely an hour after Sam crossed the threshold of the hospital, an ER doctor placed a crying, brand new baby on her chest. Healthy and perfect with the blue eyes Jack had predicted, wailing to let the world know she was here. The process had gone so quickly it felt more like sending her body through the Stargate in the early days when the whole thing shook than labor. 

“It’s a girl,” Jack had said and kissed her forehead. He couldn’t hide the tears in his eyes. “You were amazing—I can’t believe it.” 

“She’s here,” she said, more than a little stunned. 

She had been among the stars, had been to other planets, had traveled on space ships. She thought she had understood what wonder was, but she couldn’t compare that feeling to looking at this one little face before her. She couldn’t tear her eyes away; she had to memorize every tiny part of her daughter. Her daughter. 

Sam didn’t know it was possible to feel so much at once. She had done it; she was a mother. This small and monumental role that she had never yearned to fill, but now that she had the title she never, ever wanted to let it go. 

Jack, of course, fell absolutely in love with the baby and Sam got to watch it happen. She hadn’t believed in love at first sight before. Feelings like that had to be earned. That opinion was put to the test when she saw him hold his new daughter for the first time. There were no quips or sarcastic comments; there were no words at all. He was a father again because of the little second chance in his arms, and he stood there for a long moment just looking at the baby. He seemed to promise her the world, to protect her, to pick her up when she fell, to make up for the mistakes he had made in the past. 

When he finally looked up again, he found Sam’s gaze and gave her a dopey smile. She had to laugh. 

“I think we did good,” he said when he passed the baby back to Sam for her first feeding. 

Sam had a strong sense of mission accomplished. Part of her was very aware that this was just the beginning, but they had taken the first step and, as she could imagine Jack saying, that first step was a doozy. She was already proud of what they had done together. They had accomplished so much in their careers, but their daughter was living proof of what they could do together. Their plans never went the way they expected, but things always seemed to work out in the end. 

“Yes,” she said, her voice catching, “we did.” 

He settled in an extra chair next to her bed, leaning forward so he could put his elbows on the mattress. He was watching his family very closely. 

“I’m not so sure about Valentina now,” Sam said. “For a name, I mean.” 

He let out a snort. “That one was never on the table.” 

“We have to pick something.” 

“I guess we do,” Jack said. “How about that last one?” 

“Yeah?” she asked in surprise. “You don’t think it’s too old fashion?” 

They had come up with a handful of names they agreed on. The last one seemed a little different from the others, at least for this century. She had listed a few names that seemed to fit grandmothers more than babies. It had been a joke, but it had given Jack an idea. 

“Maybe,” he said, “but I love the nickname.” 

All the names he had suggested had had good nicknames. He seemed more focused on that than the full names. This choice seemed to mirror her name, and she had to admit she liked that. 

“Maxine Carter O’Neill,” she said aloud. 

“Max,” he added with a nod. 

“Yeah, it’s perfect. Welcome to the world, Max.” 

Without taking her eyes off the baby, she reached out a hand to him. He took it, kissed her palm, and let it go. 

She had realized why Jack had been so reluctant to discuss the topic of names. It was a very big decision, but like so many other things that had happened to her in the past couple of years, it fell neatly into place. The decisions themselves seemed so easy when it came time to make the choice. That first kiss with Jack, him moving in, going through with the pregnancy, saying yes to his marriage proposal. It was more like things aligning with how they should be instead of actively making them so. Not that she hadn’t chosen the life she was leading, not that there hadn’t been plenty of options to change directions. Hell, she had met some of those visions of herself, those other people who had made other choices. 

“I can’t believe how quickly it all happened,” said Sam into the easy quiet between them and to bring herself out of her thoughts. She didn’t look up, just continued to memorize every line of Max’s face. 

“I’m thinking it wasn’t the bed that was making you uncomfortable.”

“I don’t know how I could have been in labor all night and not know it.” 

“You have a very high tolerance for pain,” he said with a shrug and a bit of pride. Apparently, she did. “It was very impressive.” 

She looked up at him with a soft smile. “You were also impressive.” 

“Aw, shucks,” he said with an eye roll at himself, “what I’d do?” 

“You got us here. Jack, I mean it. We only made it in time because you were so calm.”

“I was not.” 

“Well, I couldn’t tell. I just knew you were there.” 

He leaned forward so he could reach the baby. He touched her cheek so gently. “Where else was I going to be? Besides, it’s a rodeo I’ve been to before.” 

Now, Sam reached over and rubbed his shoulder. He leaned into her. 

She could only imagine what he was feeling, what memories were on the surface of his mind. The future and the past all converging at once.

After a moment, he stood up as he sniffed and cleared his throat like he was trying to keep himself from crying again. 

Before she could say anything, they heard the sounds of high-heeled shoes on the linoleum floors and Janet’s familiar face appeared. At last. She was in her uniform and looked distressed as she scanned the room until her gaze landed on Sam in the bed and the baby in her arms. 

She stopped short. “I got here as soon as I could,” she announced. “I was at the base, so I had to find someone to cover my shift—I took an extra to free up my time next week.” 

“Sorry we ruined your plans,” Sam said with a laugh. 

Jack stood up and offered his seat to Janet. “I’m going to make a few phone calls,” he said. “There are a couple of people who’ll want to know the lady has arrived and that your leave has started.” 

“Now?” 

“Yeah, they’ll want to know and the doc’ll keep you company. I’ll be back soon.” 

She nodded even though she didn’t want him to go. Janet was coming closer, so there wasn’t time to argue. 

He didn’t need to leave. The room had a no-phone policy, but she wasn’t going to complain. Still, she would let him have a moment. He was happy—there was no doubt about that—but it had to be hard at the same time. She had plenty to keep herself occupied, and someone needed to make those calls. 

He grabbed his phone and disappeared into the hallway, moving around Janet with her focus on the baby. By now, Max had finished her first meal and had fallen asleep in her mother’s arms. 

Janet held her palms to her cheeks as she sank into the chair that Jack had been occupying. “Oh, Sam,” she said with reverence. “She’s darling.” 

“Do you want to hold her?” Sam asked. There weren’t many people she was ready to let take the baby. The list was basically Jack, the medical staff, and Janet. 

Janet looked ready to melt. “Of course.” 

Carefully, Sam passed the little bundle over. Janet leaned back in her seat. Like with Jack, Sam watched head over heels happen in front of her. She thought that the thirty-nine weeks she had to get to know her baby made a difference, but it looked like it only took a few moments. 

“I’d like to introduce Maxine Carter O’Neill,” Sam said. “Max, this is your Aunt Janet.” 

“Maxine,” Janet repeated in the same reverent voice. “It’s perfect—she’s perfect. Now, Maxine, if you ever want anything your parents won’t give you, come talk to me and I’ll see what I can do.” 

“What a lucky kid,” said Sam. She had to swallow to keep a rush of emotions out of her voice. She was lucky to have a friend like Janet and grateful for the role she was going to play in her daughter’s life. 

Janet sighed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” 

“I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to make it so I can’t fault you,” Sam said and then told Janet the rest of the story.

“You weren’t kidding when you said were cutting it close.” 

“All that matters is that I didn’t end up on the news.” 

“Air Force colonel gives birth on side of highway?” Janet suggested. She was grinning. 

“Can you imagine?” 

“Fortunately, we _only_ have to imagine.” 

After a little while, Janet gave Max back to Sam. “I could hold her forever, but I promised Cassie weeks ago that I’d call her as soon as I was on my way to the hospital.” 

She fished out her cell phone and hit the first number on the speed dial. Sam heard it ringing and distantly Cassie’s voice pick up. 

“Hey, Mom,” she said. “What’s up?”

“I have some news, or should I say Sam and Jack have some news. Baby girl born about an hour ago. Her name is Maxine.” 

There was just excited screaming on the other end of the line. Janet pulled the phone away from her ear with an apologetic look after glancing at the sleeping baby, but Sam just laughed quietly. 

When the elation subsided, Cassie had a million questions, so Janet just handed the phone to Sam. She wanted to answer them all, but they came so quickly it was hard to keep track. 

“It just so exciting,” Cassie said when Sam asked her to slow down. “I wanna come home next weekend. Don’t tell Mom.” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you’ll get a break soon and your mom is sitting right here, so she can hear everything. Focus on school—you’ll get to meet her soon. I’ll send pictures.”

Cassie laughed. “You sound like a mom.” Sam’s cheek grew warm; she really did like the way that sounded. “Is Jack there? I want to tell him congratulations too.” 

“He stepped out for a minute, but I’ll tell him.” 

They talked a little longer, but Cassie had to get to class. 

“Where did Dad go?” Janet asked when they hung up. 

“He’s calling family to give them the news. You’re not the only one who is going to be surprised.” 

Sam wondered whether or not to mention the other reason Jack was in the room at the moment. It was common knowledge that he had a son who had died, but she wasn’t sure if even Janet knew the specifics. She didn’t want to betray Jack’s trust, even though she wanted another person’s advice on what she should do. She was over their understood feelings; she wanted things out in the open, even if they were hard. Janet had been so supportive during Sam’s pregnancy, she knew why she wanted to ask her opinion, but this was something she had to discuss with Jack.

He came back after a while, looking more put together. 

“Everyone says congrats, but they all want calls from you when you’re ready. A few will be coming to visit.” Jack said. “Hello, doc,” he added as he saw Janet. 

Almost without warning, Janet was on her feet again. She threw her arms around him. “Congratulations, sir,” she said, clinging to him. 

He was so much taller than she was and he seemed so surprised by the gesture, he just patted her on the back and shot Sam a trapped look. She offered no help. 

After what probably felt like a long time to Jack, Janet let go and took the seat again, her attention on Sam again.

“What do you need?” she asked. “I was supposed to be here to help, so what can I do?” 

They asked Janet to find them lunch and the rest of the day slipped away. There was a surprising amount of things that still had to be done by and to Sam. She got in a couple of hours of sleep too. 

By dinner time, they had moved Sam to recovery, where there was an odd couch recliner thing for Jack to sleep on and a bassinet for Max to spend the night. 

They convinced Janet she could go home. She promised to be back the next morning with a few things from their house they didn’t have with them. Sam had very carefully packed a hospital bag weeks ago, and it was sitting untouched by the back door. They had their weekend bags, so she had the essentials, but they needed a car seat before the hospital would let them leave. 

It was around this time that new visitors arrived. Daniel and Teal’c had come together, but Daniel was first in the room after a very polite knock. 

He gave Sam a warm smile as he entered, but he went to Jack first. They clasped hands and then Daniel pulled Jack into a firm, brotherly hug. He thumped Jack on the back a few times. Out of anyone in their life, Daniel would probably recognize what a new baby would mean to Jack. He was, after all, the one who had told Sam about Charlie years ago. 

Teal’c went straight to the baby. He peered down at the bassinet from his height. He folded his arms behind him and didn’t say anything. 

Sam eased herself out of her bed and shuffled over. It had been several hours since she had given birth; the waddle was gone, but she was not herself yet. She stood next to him and he leaned a little closer. 

“Beautiful,” he said. 

“Thank you. Can I tell you something?” 

He nodded. 

“I always thought infants looked, well, squished, but this one,” she reached out and tucked in a corner of Max’s blanket, “is beautiful.” 

“Indeed.” 

“And very tiny.” 

“I remember thinking that when I first saw my son. How could something no longer than this,” he held out his arm and indicated his forearm, “not be fragile?” 

“I think they are sort of fragile.” 

“Not so. They are stronger than you think. With parents like you and General O’Neill, she is sure to be mighty.” 

Sam didn’t know how to respond to that. It was about the kindest thing anyone had ever said to her. She just put a hand on Teal’c arm with a smile. He nodded back. 

He was one of those people who didn’t say much, so when he did speak it was important. She had learned a lot from him over these years, and not just before she was usually someone who chatted when she was nervous. She took his lead and trusted his judgment. 

Daniel too, of course. Things had changed a lot over the years, ever more so recently, but these people were her team. She trusted them all with her life and knew she could expect that feeling to cover Max too. And Janet, who wasn’t usually there on the front lines but had pulled Sam back from the edge countless times. She was so grateful they were all a part of the village that it would take to raise her daughter. 

Daniel finished saying hello to Jack and came to hug Sam too, now she was upright. 

“Congratulations, she’s beautiful,” he said. 

“Best project to date,” Sam said with a little laugh at herself. 

“Agreed,” said Jack. 

“Where did the name come from?” Daniel asked. “Is she named after anyone?” 

“We just liked it,” Sam said. 

“Maxine,” he said, “it’s a relatively modern name, but it comes from very old roots. I think she would have been Maximiliana in Ancient Rome, but only if Jack was Maximilianus. Daughters were often given the feminine forms of their fathers’ names.” 

“Maxi-what?” said Jack as he gave Sam a hand to get back into the bed.

“Maximiliana,” Daniel said, as if Jack had genuinely been trying to pronounce it correctly. 

“We’ll call her that when she’s in trouble,” Sam said. 

“She’s never going to get into trouble,” Jack said. 

Sam laughed; she had no doubt Max was going to be a little troublemaker. Arriving a week early when her parents were on vacation seemed like just the beginning. 

“She’s already wrapped around your little finger, isn’t she?” Daniel said. 

“Isn’t that the way fathers always are with their daughters?” Jack said. 

Sam wasn’t sure he meant to, but they all looked at her to answer the question. She was, after all, the only daughter in the room. Suddenly, powerfully, she was reminded that her father wasn’t here. He wasn’t going to be stopping by later to meet his new granddaughter. 

“When things are good, they are,” said Sam. She managed to keep her voice steady, but she was sure they couldn’t miss her sad smile. 

The conversation moved to other things, starting with Jack retelling his white-knuckle driving from the cabin. After maybe half an hour, Max started to cry, and that was an easy way to clear the room. 

Cameron stopped by a little later, after Daniel and Teal’c had left. He brought an armload of flowers and an ‘It’s a girl’ balloon with him. 

Jack jumped up to shake his hand. They had always been friendly once Cameron had forgiven Jack for not explaining about his retirement when he joined SG-1, but after Sam had told Jack what Cameron had done for her after the lab accident, Jack had warmed even more. 

“Gosh, look at that,” Cameron said when he saw Max. “Brand new and everything. I’ve never seen a baby on their very first day before. Have you?” 

Cameron didn’t seem to be expecting an answer to his question, but Jack’s smile faltered. Cameron noticed and looked quickly between them. 

“It’s pretty amazing,” Sam said to cover the moment. “Did you hear how we almost didn’t make it?” This time Sam told the story of the drive to the hospital. 

“It sounds like being on the front line is the only thing that can prepare you to become a parent,” Cameron said. “It’s a hell of a thing you’ve done. Congratulations. Can I hold her?” 

Cameron usually had the energy of a boy about to open a present, but this request was serious, like he was aware of the trust he was asking for. 

And Sam did trust him. He was another person who proven himself to her, even in the relatively short time they have worked together. The kind of family she had found with Janet, Daniel, Teal’c, and with Jack long before they officially got together had another member. She held out the little bundle to Cameron. 

He looked touched and very gently took Maxine from Sam. He held her like an expert and gave her back as soon as he sensed Sam was getting antsy. 

The conversation moved to other things for a little while. Cameron hadn’t planned to stay long. Sam was grateful because even with a couple of hours of sleep earlier, she was starting to fade a little. 

“I’ll leave you to it,” he said. “It was an honor to meet you, Maxine. Welcome to the team.” He grinned at Sam, who shook her head. 

Jack shook his hand again as he left. “I’m not sure I said it before, but we can’t thank you enough for what to did to make sure she got here.” 

Jack was also thinking about the lab accident. 

“No trouble. It was a tiny part,” said Cameron with a dismissive wave, but he was blushing a little. 

“Still a part,” said Sam. 

“Happy to do it.” 

He left a few minutes later and then it was just Sam, Jack, and Maxine, their little family with its new addition. It wasn’t the first time they had been alone, but it was the first time Sam had really noticed. 

Max nursed again, and a nurse did a round of checks, but then everything seemed to settle down. The lights in the room were dimmed, and the baby was sleeping in Sam’s arms. 

Jack was watching Max intently, but Sam was watching him. 

“Are you doing okay?” she asked when they were alone. 

He was leaning on the arm of the chair with his chin in his hand, so his words were muffled when he answered. “I should be the one asking you. You did all the hard work today.” 

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she said. He probably knew that. “You’ve been thinking about Charlie.” 

He looked up at her without moving anything else. His gaze just flicked to hers. There wasn’t any emotion on his face that she could read. 

“So?” he said slowly. 

“So...so you know that’s allowed, right?” 

He didn’t answer, so she waited. He sighed when he realized she did expect something from him. 

“Why do I want to bring up something sad on a good day?” he said. “Hell, I didn’t even mean to bring up your dad.” 

“Because it’s not all sad and you’re allowed to feel two things at once. Even three.” 

“I don’t have that kind of emotional range.” 

She ignored the self-deprecating joke. “I don’t want Charlie to be a secret. Maxine had a brother, and he died. It’s so tragic, but it’s a part of life—part of our life. I’m not going to hide the fact that her grandparents have passed.” 

Her heart was beating very fast. Sometimes normal life was so much bigger than galaxies. They didn’t challenge each other in this way. They teased and let words go unsaid. He had to know she had realized why he had used making the calls as an excuse, and he probably didn’t expect her to bring it up again.

“I don’t want him to be a secret either,” Jack said at last. 

She sighed a little in relief. “I hope you know you don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to, but you also don’t have to leave the room just because you are thinking about him. Not when it’s just me, at least. I want to know what’s going on in that head of yours.” 

“You sure?” He cocked a grin at her. 

“Almost always.” She smiled back. 

“I promise—I’m not going to bail.” 

“I am not worried about that. I just don’t want to carry everything on your own. We’re together. In everything. I’m here for the bad days and the good ones.” 

He reached over and held out a hand. What she really wanted was to kiss him and to pull him into the hospital bed with her, so she could tuck into his arms in the way that made her feel small and safe. But she’d settle for her hand in his. 

“Let’s count the good ones, okay?” he said. “‘Cause this was one of the best.” 

“It really was, sir.” She leaned down and kissed Maxine on the forehead. “Happy birthday, little girl.”


End file.
